Career advancement in the National Police Service (NPS) will be determined by how effectively the officers control crime in their respective areas and citizen perceptions.
The Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report also recommends that the deployment of police officers should be aligned to their talents, skills and specialisation.
“The standards of promotion into leadership and management must reflect measurable past performance, including internal courses and exams, as well as citizen complaints of abuse and corruption,” the report states.
Wellness counselling
The BBI report, which was unveiled on Wednesday, recommends the introduction of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for police leadership vis-à-vis the crime statistics.
“The NPS to introduce a new framework for digitised monthly returns that capture the relevant KPIs.
The captured data to be used for ranking for career advancement,” the report recommends.
Regarding police wellbeing, there will be accessible and well-resourced mental health and wellness counselling and treatment for police officers.
A deployment process that minimises disruption of family life will also be established.
“Particular attention should be paid to those in frontline roles that expose them to extreme trauma. All measures should also be taken to keep families together,” the report recommends.
To improve policing, the BBI report recommends that it begins from the deployment of police trainers.
“Policy on identifying police trainers and instructors should be reviewed. The quality of their training in turn affects the quality of recruits and policing generally,” the report, which will be officially launched on Monday, states. The application and recruitment process for the police service, will be digitised to make it more open and accessible.
The report further recommends heavy penalties for corrupting the process and automatic penalties such as prosecution and dismissal.
Though clear systems and regulations regarding transfers and promotions are in place, they are rarely followed.
Lately, transfers and promotion have been haphazard and there have been reports of bribery.
The BBI recommends the creation of a digitised, transparent human resources system with clear guidelines and processes for promotion and transfer.
Officers’ morale
A digital register of citizens’ complaints will be established and whose contents will be used in determining promotion and transfers.
To boost the officers’ morale, the police service commission should support integrity and effectiveness by recognising and rewarding excellence, dedication and sacrifice, as well as establishing a fund for rewarding good officers.
Regarding victims of terrorism and other crimes, the report recommends the formation of a trust fund to provide information and compensation to victims of crimes, especially terrorism.
The operationalisation of the Victim Protection Trust Fund, which will pay special attention to victims of terrorism, is in line with the Victim Protection Act.
The Act provides for protection of victims of crime and abuse of power, and offers better information and support services to provide for compensation to victims.
