T Mhlahlo: Institute for Municipal Public Safety of Southern Africa
conference

13 September 2007

'Requirements for Leadership in Public Safety with Emphasis upon Law
Enforcement for 2007 and Beyond'

It is indeed a great honour for me to get an opportunity to address such an
august occasion, which seeks to find ways and means of improving our work of
providing safety and security for all our people.

Since the advent of democracy, visible and decisive interventions have been
made by the democratic state in an effort to inculcate a new national culture
that is underpinned by values of human dignity, the achievement of equality and
the advancement of human rights and freedoms.

Government's vision was effective law enforcement that reflect a united,
non-racial, non-sexist law enforcement service that continuously strive for
excellence through promoting the Batho Pele principles.

This transition did not only mean a change in our policing systems, but what
was needed most was a change of attitudes from being just a Policeman that
takes instructions, into a Manager focusing on service delivery and nation
building.

It means that the leadership in public safety must be visionaries with
strong managerial skills and people-centred.

Transformation of public safety management

Our main challenge has always been the transformation of law enforcement
agencies to uphold the principles of equality enshrined in the Constitution and
further to ensure that there is good governance.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) is a living example of an
institution that was inherited by the democratic state from a bureaucratic,
rule bound and white male dominated force, which had to be transformed into a
service reflecting and respecting gender and representation in relation to race
and demographics.

New management principles had to be introduced in order to transform the
work ethic of the police from agents of oppression into being 'servants of the
Community.' This approach further assisted in changing the mindset within the
institution and provided space for previously disadvantaged groups of our
society, particularly women to occupy senior positions in SAPS as commissioners
and key decision makers, instead of providing secretarial services.

The new task of public safety managers is to redefine law enforcement in
relation to crime prevention as a strategy of governance. This approach
encompasses a strategy that seeks to educate our law enforcement agencies about
the moral regeneration issues in our communities.

In fact, this is a requirement for leadership in Public Safety, which has
been laid down in the Constitution of South Africa which states that "the
objects of the Police Service are to prevent, combat and investigate crime, to
maintain public order, to protect and secure the inhabitants of the Republic
and their property, and to uphold and enforce the law."

These principles set the tone for our new policing style of transforming the
police from oppressors to servants of the community. At the core of these
principles is that all spheres of government have the duty to provide a minimum
of community safety and personal safety through the policing service they
provide. The citizens are the consumers of the service and have a right to
demand that the quality of this service meets their satisfaction.

South Africa's approach to the safety and security of its citizens is based
on the principles of community policing, where the community becomes part of
the solution to its crime problems and further this strategy does not make our
law enforcement agencies soft on policing.

New policy direction

The introduction of the National Crime Prevention Strategy and the White
Paper on Safety and Security has brought about a new paradigm of law
enforcement as it recognises that crime prevention is not the responsibility of
the South African Police Service only, but also other government departments
with a special focus on social issues.

Our experiences over the last few years have taught us that leadership in
Public Safety with emphasis on law enforcement does not automatically lie at
the door of Police officials but rather effective Managers to give strategic
direction. The National Commissioner of the SAPS is an example of this.

Strengthening local capacity

The legislation of Municipal Policing has also brought about a role of
Municipalities in Public Safety. This requires co-ordination of municipal law
enforcement activities with the SAPS. That approach will ensure that we
concentrate all our energies on effective management in day-to-day enforcement
and quality control, linked to innovative efforts for effective and efficient
service delivery.

In an effort to overcome the current fragmentation of traffic management
across the country, government has established the Road Traffic Management
Corporation (RTMC) to bring a new professional coherence and improvement
coordination of road traffic management. The remaining challenge is for
Municipalities to provide leadership at local level through ensuring that they
have by-laws, which will enable the restoration of the moral fibre of our
society.

Considering the current debate of the establishment of a single national
Police Service, we need to ask ourselves, would it not be more effective if
Municipal Police and the South African Police Services account to one Police
Commissioner?
However, at the same time, how are we going to address the needs and
requirements of a particular municipality?

As we gear up for the 2010 Federation International Football Association
(Fifa) World Cup, our law enforcement agencies will have to ensure that not
only do they provide a safe passage and a crime free tournament, but that the
leadership of these law enforcement agencies be equipped to make strategic
decisions and in some cases act as tourism ambassadors for South Africa.

The prevailing challenges in our society require a massive investment on the
building of public safety fraternity's management capacity and the mobilisation
of young men and women to sustain our law enforcement strategies.

We need to further consider the mobilisation of skilled volunteers to assist
our law enforcement agencies in the fight against crime, particularly in our
high crime areas. This approach has worked very well in the Nelson Mandela Bay
Metro and I strongly believe that it can be emulated by other
municipalities.

In conclusion

It is incumbent upon all of us to ensure that we build a collaborative
security community that will ensure that there is sustainable peace and
stability in our country, and create a conducive environment for our children
to enjoy the fruits of freedom and democracy.

I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Safety, Liaison, Roads and Transport, Eastern Cape
Provincial Government
13 September 2007