Mr. Thabo Mofomme
Department of Criminology
University of South Africa

Paper delivered at the Conference of the Institute for Municipal Law Enforcement (IMLE): Service Delivery: Towards an integrated policing : 23 and 24 AUGUST 2001at Goudini Spa, Worcester, Western Cape Province.

1 Introduction

Mr Adriaan Vlok, who was the Minister of Law and Order during the apartheid years, indicated that fragmented and ad hoc efforts to address serious crimes are futile and pointless. He already indicated that there was a need for an integrated approach to solving problems of crime and lawlessness.

High levels of crime and violence are no longer tolerated in South Africa. The government has shown its commitment to dealing with this by coming up with a strategy which views crime as a social phenomenon which cannot be handled only through policing.

Policing is no longer seen as a favor to the community. The community is entitled to proper service delivery and must be consulted to determine their needs. The South African Police service had to change from their old way of working and start to do Community Policing. As these changes occur, the members of the police service also had to adjust to these new challenges as their skills and knowledge become obsolete. The increasing needs of the community and changes in legislation, demand a more integrated approach to policing in order to enhance service delivery and customer satisfaction.

The mission of the Government is : "the creation of a people centred and people driven public service, which is characterised by equity, quality, timorousness and a strong code of ethics, organisational excellence and quality service delivery". It is against this background that the policing system in South Africa has to facilitate the transformation of the competencies of its employees towards a democratic ethos, supported by the understanding of and need for human rights. South Africa as a new democracy and role player in the world markets will only now feel the pressure of competition, and managers will now also experience renewed pressure of the global forces with a demand for world-class performance. There is a need for public servants to equip themselves with knowledge, skills and attitude for optimal performance. In order to fulfil this, we need a professional and multi-skilled public servant who is creative and able to meet the demands of the 21^st century.

In this article the focus will be on definitions of training, education and development as they are closely related and lead to the desired outcomes. Emphasis is on employee and management development rather than individual development. It needs to be mentioned that for the police service to be an integrated system, it needs education and development at all levels, not only at lower levels. The policy framework governing integrated policing is also discussed, followed by an overview of the previous and current approaches to policing. The larger part of the paper focuses on an integrated policing system with specific reference to education, training and development. The paper indicates how education can be used to turn the police into an integrated system. I conclude by providing recommendations on transforming education and development as well as quality management.

2 Definition of Concepts

2.1 Education

The concept of education can be defined as "the activities directed at providing the knowledge, skills, moral values and understanding required in the normal course of life". Education aims to create circumstances and opportunities for young and adult people to develop an understanding of the traditions and ideas of the society in which they leave, while enabling them to contribute to the society.

2.2 Training

Training can be regarded as "a systematic and planned process to change the knowledge, skills and behavior of employees in such a way that organisational objectives are achieved". Training is task oriented in that it focuses on the work performed in the organisation.

2.3 Development

Employee development is directed mainly at creating learning opportunities and making learning possible within an organisation. Development must take place within the context of specific objectives.

Management development is a concept that is commonly used and directed at providing managers (and potential managers) with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to manage the enterprise.

3 Approach

For the purpose of this report, education, learning and training are seen in an integrated manner in line with the National Qualification Framework (NQF) as required by the South African Qualification Authority (SAQA) to attend to specific issues in a holistical manner. These are :

• To see that education and training are brought together where knowledge gained and skills obtained are integrated;
• Ensuring that learning is recognised whether it takes place in a formal or informal setting;
• Learning should be able to move between education-, training- and working environments;
• Areas of learning are connected to each other to enable learners to build on what they have learnt as they move from one setting to another;
• Ensuring that credits and qualifications are easily transferable from one learning situation to another;
• That needs of the employees are addressed; and
• That qualification obtained by learners are recognised and accepted nationally and internationally.

4.1 The National Crime Prevention Strategy

The National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS) is the most important initiative which was aimed at achieving sustainable safety in South Africa through an integrated approach to crime prevention. It encouraged the engagement of government departments such as Justice, Correctional Services, Welfare, Education, Safety and Security and Intelligence who all have to play a role in crime prevention.

Civil society groups such as religious institutions, non-government organisations, businesses, community-based organisations and trade unions have a key role to play in resourcing, supporting and conducting local social crime prevention.

The NCPS also led to the development of an integrated Justice System which consists of the SAPS, Correctional Service and Justice. This integration is important because, in order to achieve success in dealing with criminals, requires the SAPS to collect proper evidence, the prosecution (Justice) to argue the case and once convicted, the Correctional Service must see to the person's rehabilitation and incarceration.

The NCPS also sketches a specific role for local Government to co-ordinate and promote inter-agency crime prevention work within local boundaries (Shaw 1998).

4.2 Legislation Relating to Training and Development

• The South African Police Act of 1995 (as amended), provides for the establishment of Municipal Policing and by regulation describes certain training standards.

 
• The White Paper on Safety and Security- "In Service of Safety": 1999-2004, places a substantial responsibility on local Government in respect of crime prevention.

 
• The Road Traffic Management Corporation Act of 1999, undertakes, among other objectives, to develop human resources in the public and private sectors that are involved in road traffic.

 
• The South African Qualifications Authority Act of 1995, deals with the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), Standard setting bodies and Education and Training Quality Assurance Bodies.

 
• The Skills Development Act of 1998, which deals with the Sector Education & Training Authority (SETA).

5.1 Departmentalisation

Previously the South African Police Service (SAPS) developed strategies in terms of the Policing Priorities and objectives (PPO's) and personnel were distributed accordingly. This led to the establishment of specialised structures which were in line with those PPO's. For instance, one of the PPO's was the proliferation of fire-arms. This led to the formation of specialised units that deal only with the confiscation and investigation of unlicenced fire-arms.

The other important factor that needs to be mentioned is that the SAPS had a tendency of creating more structures whenever there was a serious problem of crime. For instance, Taxi Violence Units were formed after there was an increase in taxi violence in most Provinces. The same goes for the Truck Hijacking units. The result of this is that there were 521 specialised units in country-wide, 203 of them have been closed with the recent integration of specialised units. We are now left with 318 specialised unit that must serve the community.

Uniformed members of the SAPS still perform specialised duties and have a limited scope. These members do patrol duties and visit scenes of crime but do not always have the knowledge of handling the whole scene on their own. For instance, suppose they are called to a scene of crime (housebreaking), they have to contact the detectives to do the preliminary investigation. If there is a need for fingerprints and photo's to be taken, they have to summon the experts from the Criminal Record Centre.

Another example which one can quote especially because it has far reaching consequences, is that of dealing with stolen or suspected stolen vehicles. Patrol officers often stop vehicles on the road to examine them. Suppose they find a suspicious vehicle, they have to contact the computer room to establish ownership and whether the vehicle has not been reported stolen. If they are still not satisfied, they take the vehicle to the Police pound (also called SAP 13 camp) where it will await to be checked by the Vehicle Identification Specialist. The result is that most vehicles stand for long in the pounds and even get vandalized. The owners then register civil claims against the Commissioner of the SAPS and have to be compensated for their losses.

5.2 Traditional Approach to Management

In the past, the SAPS used a traditional approach to management. This approach is still being followed to a certain extent. This approach has the following consequences:

• Emphasis is placed on measuring individuals
• Management controls employees
• Individuals are concerned about doing their own jobs
• A competitive organisation culture reinforces individualism
• The status quo is maintained
• Reaction to problems only when they arise
• Emphasis is on the power, position and status of management
• Emphasis on management-subordinate relationships
• Subordinates are blamed for errors
• Every unit promotes its own interest

6.1 What is an integrated policing system?

It is a system which is characterised by integration and coordination of personnel power in order to achieve common objectives. It derives its root meaning from linking, aligning, coordinating efforts across sectors to give effect to the ideals of developmental policing system. Strategically and holistically speaking, the emphasis of an integrated policing system is learning and performance improvement.

The process of IPS entails

• the setting of a long term vision and mission
• determination of priorities and objectives
• assessing the existing level of development
• a financial plan projected over the medium term (at least three years).

7 Principles Guiding the Integrated Policing System

• It will help to make more effective use of scarce resources

• It will help to speed up delivery

• It will help to strengthen police community relations

• It will help to strengthen relations among members of the Service

• It will help to change the shape and nature of the police organisations as follows:

8  Institutional Capacity

This refers to the question of whether the police are able to engage in innovative practices required to empower communities. This is in line with the need for the police service to render community policing as prescribed in the Interim Constitution of 1993. Community policing is currently not functioning smoothly due to capacity constraints that face the police organisation.

8.1 Capacity Constraints

These include:

• The fact that personnel of the SAPS is still largely undertrained and under-skilled- about 25% of the 128 000 members of the SAPS remain functionally illiterate (Pelser 1999).

 
• The hierarchical organisation of personnel inhibits individual innovation. Most managers see themselves in terms of their ranks and this affects the way in which they react to subordinates.

 
• The continuing lack of a coherent and integrated training, deployment, development and succession strategy geared towards enhancing local service delivery means that there are no systemic incentives for rewarding innovative and effective practice at local level.

Training and development should not be divided into watertight compartments but a variety of methods can be used to develop people. To ensure that training is not presented merely for the sake of training, a few key elements that identify training and development must be considered:

• training should strive for a learning experience with set objectives/outcomes
• It should be a specifically planned organisational programme
• It should be in accordance with the training needs of the employees
• It should meet the needs of organisational objectives, while granting the learner an opportunity to grow and develop.

9.1 Learning by Exposure

This is considered as one of the options in employee training and development. in this case, the learner/employee gathers knowledge and uses it without any help except that which is offered by colleagues.

Learning by exposure can be changed by instructing the trainer and by providing learning objectives against which progress can be measured for effectiveness. The field training programme of the SAPS in which a learner is exposed to the working environment under the supervision of a field training officer, is an example of learning by exposure.

9.2 Educational Approach

The educational approach concentrates on the individual's needs. It centres mostly on formal educational programmes that are externally developed and leads to the attainment of recognised qualifications. The process involves attendance of classes and/or correspondence teaching.

9.3 The System Approach

A system is defined as "a set of interdependent components that form a unit". It is regarded as open if there is interaction between the system and closed if there is no interaction. An organisation such as the police service is an open system because it obtains its resources from the environment and is directly or indirectly affected by various environmental factors, e.g. political, economical, technological changes.

The Training and Development function receives its input from the internal and external environment of the organisation. As far as the system's approach is concerned, the external environment can influence training in the following way:

• the changing needs of customers
• increased competition
• latest technology
• changes in Government policies

The problem centred approach solves short-term problems and is ad hoc in nature. It is dominated by operational problems that determine the needs of the employees. The approach is often acceptable because it is pragmatic in nature, solves real work problems and it is cost-effective.

9.5 The Action Learning Approach

This approach is focused on managers who study real life problems and the solving of those problems within a real life environment. It offers a challenge which, in turn, provides motivation and demands the transformation of problems into opportunities.

9.6 The Analytical Approach

Traditionally this approach has been associated with the assessment of organisational training needs and followed by the analysis of the knowledge, skills and attitude required for a specific job. Information used to develop courses is drawn from job specifications and job descriptions.

9.7 The Competence Approach

This approach describes the outcome for a specific job and does not focus on the learning method. the learner and the trainer can decide how the learner can become competent. Standards are described in terms of :

• elements of competence: an action, behavior or outcome that a person must be able to demonstrate;
• performance criteria: statements against which the performance of an individual is measured;
• range statements: statements which define the breadth of competence required for an individual to be considered occupationally competent.

The procedures that accompany this approach are as follows:

• the existence of a multi-skilling training policy
• the inclusion of training responsibilities in job descriptions
• regular and periodic definition of training needs
• the creation of multi-skilling training plans
• the provision of training resources
• the implementation of plans
• the assessment of training results

In his article on the Delta-type senior civil service for the 21^st century, Yehezkel Dror emphasises the needs for the recruitment of a new type of civil servant who can perform the higher order functions of government. These functions includes the ability to cope with novel challenges, opportunity and dangers of the 21^st century. The type of civil servant who is required to function in this new type of a civil service is called a Delta type civil servant (Dror 1997:8).

The attributes of a Delta type civil servant as proposed by Dror will be used to recommend the profile of a police officer for the integrated policing system.

10.1 Concentration on higher order tasks

There is a need for a new civil service culture characterised by unusual patterns of work, including much reading, retreats, policy contemplation and interface with thinkers and scientists. One of the objectives of the civil service will be to make a difference to the future.

The police officer in the IPS must have the passion for reading, have knowledge of relevant policies and be interested in think tanks. The officer must not be short-sighted and live only for the present but must constantly consider how he, together with others, can change and shape the future.

10.2 Super-professionalism

Dror emphasises that a high level of professionalism is the most important characteristic of a delta type civil servant. He considers the fact that it takes at least seven years of intensive study for a person to become a medical doctor, and a further three years to become a specialist. While in order to become a professional in the civil service does not take anything close to that intensive studying. He argues that the delta type civil servant must be "super-professional", equivalent in length of studies at least to medical specialists and constantly engaging in supplementary learning, through study periods and multiple experience.

Requirements for becoming a police officer in South Africa, is Matriculation plus driver's licence and about one year of college training. One can hardly say that after completion, the officer is a professional.

Minimum requirements for recruitment in the police should be a three year post matric qualification or equivalent qualification in terms of the National Qualification Framework (NQF). This must still be supplemented by the one year police college training and further in-service training and development.

The police officer must

• be developed in understanding and interpretation of policing for implementation purposes,
• have a good understanding of social processes including their psychological bases to be able to deal with victims and perpetrators,
• have a good measure of value philosophy and ethical reasoning, and
• have above average knowledge of public finance, budgeting and resource management.

Dror assets that innovation and creativity are essential for coping with novel issues and situations. He indicates that this is a problem because of the belief that creativity is largely the result of personality and cannot be taught. Most organisations and government structures are anti-innovative in practice.

However, the police organisation must encourage creativity and innovation through regular delegation of activities and rewarding creativity. The police officer must be exposed to an entrepreneurial spirited police service. Multiple exposures will stimulate innovativeness and creativity. This necessitates career patterns which provide diverse experiences and interface with heterogenous realities.

10.4 Merit-élitist but society reflecting

Dror indicates that the delta type civil service tries to attract, select and develop 'the best' in a multidimensional sense. This includes recruiting and advancing women and various ethnic groups, making the civil service attractive in terms of challenges and competitive in terms of remuneration, and having a selection and career system which chooses and keeps the best, while screening out the less than best and retiring those who loose their cutting edge.

In this case, our police service has advanced in recruiting women and various ethnic groups, however, there must be improvement in attracting "the best" and screening out those who do not bring their part. The measures used in the police to encourage the "tainted" (bad elements) to leave, mainly lucrative severance packages, were applied across the organisation and encouraged even the brightest and best officers to leave.

10.5 Virtuousness

Virtuousness involves recruiting people with moral excellence, who can comply with ethical guidelines for public service, with serious respect for ethics, values and virtues. The delta type civil service requires people who are committed to the republic, who strictly avoid conflict of interests and are obedient to administrative and political superiors.

Virtuousness cannot be over-emphasised in the police service in order to prevent corruption, conflict of interests and ill-discipline. The training system must be developed in such a way that it can instill moral excellence. This will not necessarily be achieved through corporal punishment or autocratic style of instruction but should be internalised by the college students.

10.6 Autonomous but subordinated

Dror stipulates that the delta type civil service must be autonomous in its professional work and influential in decision making but subordinated to its superiors. The civil servant must be able to confront bad political choices and if necessary, blow the whistle on those engaging in misconduct and corruption.

The Police officer must also be able to function autonomously and take responsibility and yet be subordinated to superiors. It sometimes happens that officers commit offences in the presence of their colleagues, but when questioned, the latter plead ignorance and unawareness.

10.7 Strong sense of mission

Dror argues that being a senior civil servant is to be regarded as a vocational calling, an existential choice, a 'life-mission'.

The police officer must also see his job as a calling in which he will be committed for life. He must also be vision and mission driven.

11 Multi-skilling Through Outcome-Based Learning

Outcome-based education and training has, as its starting point the intended output (outcomes) as opposed to the inputs of traditional curriculum-driven education and training. Outcome-based education is based on the following:

• It is learner-centred in that it takes the learner's needs into consideration;
• It acknowledges human diversity by taking learners' differences into account;
• It is democratic and participative in nature in that learners also have a say in how they experience education;
• It focuses on responsibility;
• It allows learners to achieve their full potential.

In order to develop a police officer close to a delta type public servant mentioned by Dror, this outcome-based learning and education can be used. Multiple skills of a police officer can be developed through the 3-D approach.

12 Recommentadions for Transforming

• Basic requirements for joining the police must be reviewed and increased to at least a three year diploma or equivalent.

 
• A skills audit must be conducted in order to determine priority training needs of each individual.

 
• An annual Workplace skills plan, based on the results of the skills audit, must be developed and implemented at station level. This must go hand in hand with a training and development plan for each member.

 
• The scene must be set for transformation of the training and development in the police service by informing and workshoping all personnel of the intended changes. This will also encourage transparency as all members will know exactly what is happening and will be part of the whole process.

 
• Training budget must be decentralised to station level so that line managers can take responsibility for the training and development of personnel.

 
• Training and development must focus on multi-skilling as a priority as this will assist in addressing the human resource shortages.

 
• Training must be aligned to Station and Personnel needs. For a start, personnel must be nominated for courses in order to enhance the development of a pool of skills in the station. This will make sure that service delivery is continued while multi-skilling is under way.

 
• Competency and accreditation of all training providers must be established and confirmed prior to their involvement in training to ensure quality control.

 
• Train-the-trainer programmes must be introduced to ensure that trainers are always up to date with the latest programmes and developments in education. The assistance of Educational Institutions such as Universities and Technikons must be summoned.

 
• A standardised on-the-job process of evaluating the impact of training on performance in the workplace must be introduced and implemented.

 
• A coherent and integrated recruitment, training, deployment and succession strategy must be developed.

 
• Transform management approach from traditional to quality management. This is a manager who will be able to see the organisation as one unit. He must be able to identify his task/contribution within a larger context. Such a manager should be committed to the total customer satisfaction through a continuous process of improvement and the contribution and involvement of people.

An organisation which follows quality management will have the following benefits:

• Customer driven
• Measuring processes
• Individuals working in teams(think tanks) to make the total process function in a better way
• Both individual and group contributions are encouraged
• Focus is on prevention, and not reaction to crises
• Interdepartmental cooperation focuses on quality products and services
• Employees satisfy customer needs
• Innovation is encouraged and employees are allowed to make errors and learn from them

The biggest challenge facing the Policing system in South Africa is to develop an education, training and learning system which will lead to the development of an integrated policing system. Such a system will effectively adjust to global shifts in culture, technology and information. For the South African Policing system to be internationally competent and have a good workforce of the future, it will need employees who are trained, educated and skilled towards an integrated policing system. The purpose being to handle many complexities of our ever more technological world.

Education in the police should develop multiple skills in order to improve our integrated system and also for individuals to have knowledge of what is happening in the entire South African Policing system. An integrated approach will enable the police service to fuction within the limited resources, to compete against the private sector and to successfully deal with criminals.

If we can manage to develop a police officer who is striving towards becoming a delta-type senior civil servant, we will be able to bridge the educational gap between the ordinary police officer and an ordinary member of the community. All this will enhance service delivery and customer satisfaction.

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