fear and undermines police morale
21 August 2006
As the MEC for Community Safety in Gauteng, I completely reject the findings
of the so-called âsurveyâ recently presented to the media by the Democratic
Alliance (DA) provincial Member of Parliament J.C Moody. This âsurveyâ is
deeply flawed in its design and methodology and the results of this amateur
attempt at research can in no way be accepted as scientific. It is clear that
this DA initiative is little more than a cynical and reckless attempt to
exploit the public anxiety of crime for its own political ends.
For survey results to accurately reflect the perceptions and attitudes of
the employees of a large and diverse organisation such as the South African
Police Service (SAPS), it is necessary to adhere to two fundamental tenants of
research. Firstly the size of the sample has to be large enough to provide
results that can be generalised to the larger population being surveyed.
Secondly, a random sampling technique has to be employed to ensure that each
person in the organisation has an equal chance of responding to the
questionnaire. The so-called survey fulfils neither of these essential
criteria.
Along with the poor methodological design of the âsurveyâ, the DA member
completely failed to follow the protocol for conducting research in the SAPS.
The protocol is there to ensure that all research projects undertaken in the
SAPS conform to sound ethical and methodological standards. It was clear from
the outset that this survey was designed in bad faith with predetermined
results in mind so as to fit a political agenda. It was for these reasons that
I concurred with the Provincial Commissioner that this initiative should not
receive the support of police management.
Out of the more than 31 000 personnel based at 124 police stations working
for the SAPS in Gauteng, the DA survey draws conclusions from a small sample of
only 250 individuals who chose to respond to the survey. This survey therefore
presents the perceptions and attitudes of 0.8% of the SAPS officials working in
Gauteng. Put another way, the DA makes findings about all SAPS officers in the
province based on the attitudes of no more than two people at each police
station in Gauteng. In this case, the front page of the survey was on a DA
letterhead and the instructions explained that âthe results will be used to
increase awareness of the problems faced by police officersâ. Obviously, mostly
those who felt very dissatisfied in their jobs would be moved to complete the
questionnaire which would lead to biased results.
The purpose of this inept initiative must be seen in its proper political
context. Only a month ago, all opposition parties, including the DA, supported
my budget vote before the legislature thereby demonstrating faith in the plans
of my department. Recently, I announced a six-month plan to combat crime
following a meeting convened by the national Minister. The response to this
plan from across Gauteng has been overwhelmingly positive. I have also tabled
before the legislature and the Provincial Cabinet a comprehensive strategy to
address crime and safety challenges in Gauteng in the medium to long-term. This
strategy received unanimous support from the Gauteng Legislature Standing
Committee on Public Safety with representative from the DA, including the
member who circulated the survey and issued the statement.
The real reason for this initiative of this member is that he is trying to
promote his own political profile and to recover lost political ground. The
fact of the matter is that for a number of years now the DA in the provincial
legislature has demonstrated itself incapable of providing useful and practical
proposals for improving policing or reducing crime in Gauteng. I challenge
anyone to review the performance of the DA in the legislature in this regard
and come to a different finding. Because of their lack of ideas and content
they are forced to resort to cheap publicity stunts. However, this negative
approach does nothing to reduce crime or improve policing but merely fuels more
public anxiety and undermines the morale of the many dedicated policemen and
women in Gauteng.
As the MEC for Community Safety I am well aware of the challenges facing the
SAPS in this province and continually work to ensure improvements in police
effectiveness and efficiency. Towards this end, I frequently rely on research
that is conducted by credible and independent institutions. The DA is a
political party with a partisan agenda and is not a credible organisation that
has the expertise to conduct scientifically valid surveys.
I will reiterate that I am completely dedicated to addressing challenges of
improving police performance and reducing crime in this province. I will not be
diverted from this task by a stunt that I consider at best a small irritation.
I believe that the only way to achieve a sustainable reduction in crime is to
unite all the people of our province across the divides of race class, gender
and political persuasions. I will therefore continue to work with all people
and organisations that are truly committed to support initiatives to strengthen
policing, reduce crime and improve community safety.
Together we can beat crime!
For more information contact:
Phumla Sekhonyane
Tel: (011) 689 3633
Cell: 082 909 3708
Issued by: Gauteng Provincial Government
21 August 2006
