Warwick Bruce Chapman

In April 2011 I identified that DMPS had a vacancy rate of 48% with 1056 of 2200 posts vacant. Now as of January 2012, a marginal improvement sees 81 posts filled resulting in a 44.3% vacancy rate.

Of concern is the fact that while the number of sergeant and captain posts have increased by 26 to 193 (26 new posts), the number of vacancies has increased by 32 posts from 54 (32.3%) in 2011 to 86 (44.6%) now.

Sergeants and Captains are the leaders that make or break a police service on the ground.

January 2012
Total Uniform staff as per the Organogram = 2202 (+2 posts)
Total Uniform staff vacancies = 975 (-81 posts)
Total Uniform staff vacancy rate = 44.3% (-3.7% points)

Total Sergeant/Captain posts = 193 (+26 posts)
Total Sergeant/Captain vacancies = 86 (+32 posts)
Total Sergeant/Captain vacancy rate = 44.6% (12.2% points)

April 2011
Total Uniform staff as per the Organogram = 2200
Total Uniform staff vacancies = 1056
Total Uniform staff vacancy rate = 48.0%

Total Sergeant/Captain posts = 167
Total Sergeant/Captain vacancies = 54
Total Sergeant/Captain vacancy rate = 32.3%

Note: Please find the questions as tabled at the 31 January 2012 council meeting here. The answers were given verbally, but a listing of the responses is included after the questions below or as a PDF from here.

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The Speaker – eThekwini Council
Councillor Logie Naidoo
City Hall
DURBAN

22 January 2012

Dear Mr Speaker

QUESTIONS IN TERMS OF SECTION 17 OF THE RULES OF ORDER

The Durban Metropolitan Police Service has an extremely important role in the proper functioning of our City. In order for DMPS to fulfil its mandate, it must be fully capacitated and well lead throughout the structures.

In this regard, Captains are extremely important leaders in DMPS area structures and are crucial to the proper functioning of each shift and specialised unit. Questions 4 and 5 relate to Captains in DMPS.

1. How many Metro Police officers are indicated in the organogram under each of the 5 regional commanders: North, South, Inner West, Outer West, Central (incorporating CBD, Suburbs and Beach)?

2. How many Metro Police officers are presently employed under each of the 5 regional commanders: North, South, Inner West, Outer West, Central (incorporating CBD, Suburbs and Beach)?

3. How many Captains are indicated in the organogram under each of the 5 regional commanders: North, South, Inner West, Outer West, Central (incorporating CBD, Suburbs and Beach)?

4. How many Captains are presently employed under each of the 5 regional commanders: North, South, Inner West, Outer West, Central (incorporating CBD, Suburbs and Beach)?

5. If the answer to question 4. above indicates shortage in the number of Captains presently employed relative to those provided for in the organogram, what is being done by DMPS to expedite the training and promotion of Captains?

6. What is the total of uniformed staff in the organogram, and how many vacancies exist as at 1 November 2011?

7. What is the total of Sergeants/Captain posts in the organogram, and how many vacancies exist as at 1 November 2011?

8. Why does the DMPS use a 12-hour shift?

9. Surely, given the shortage of officers, an 8-hour shift will greatly increase the number of officers available for duty at any one time?

10. Will the DMPS consider moving back to an 8-hour shift system?

11. How many applications to the DPP for new speeding sites have been made since January 2011?

Yours faithfully,

Councillor Warwick Chapman

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Answers

Answers provided 31 January, 2012:

1. How many Metro Police Officers are indicated in the organogram under each of the 5 regional commanders: North, South, Inner West, Outer West, Central (incorporating CBD, Suburbs and Beach)?

2. How many Metro Police Officers are presently employed under each of the 5 regional commanders: North, South, Inner West, Outer West, Central (incorporating CBD, Suburbs and Beach)?

3. How many Captains are indicated in the organogram under each of the 5 regional commanders: North, South, Inner West, Outer West, Central (incorporating CBD, Suburbs and Beach)?

4. How many Captains are presently employed under each of the 5 regional commanders: North, South, Inner West, Outer West, Central (incorporating CBD, Suburbs and Beach)?

5. If the answer to question .4 above indicates shortage in the number of Captains presently employed relative to those provided for in the organogram, what is being done by DMPS to expedite the training and promotion of Captains?

6. What is the total of uniformed staff in the organogram, and how many vacancies exist as at 01 November 2011?

Refer to the Durban Metro Police Organogram. The full DMPS organogram can be obtained by contacting the Senior HR Manager for Metro Police, Fire and Emergency Services
Mr M K Naidoo
E-mail: NaidooMonty@durban.gov.za
Telephone: 031 311 2968
Facsimile: 031 311 2909

Alternatively a hard copy can be obtained from DMPS Human Resources Offices based at the following address:
Human Resources Department
Room 339
2^nd Floor
Metropolitan Police Services Headquarters
16 Archie Gumede Place (formerly known as Old Fort Place)
Durban
4001

7. What is the total of Sergeants/Captain posts in the organogram, and how many vacancies exist as at 01 November 2011?

Refer to the Durban Metro Police organogram (see details above).

8. Why does the DMPS use a 12-hour shift?

In 2004, Metro Police Management decided to move from an 8 hour shift to a 12 hour shift. In order to satisfy the wishes of the Unions, regarding allowances and overtime, it was agreed that an Omnibus would be paid to each employee amounting to 17% of his salary. The agreement was signed by all parties.

In 2007, the Drakensburg agreement was signed between the Unions and Council Management. Part of the agreements was that the Omnibus was not going to be paid. Metro Police Management were not consulted on this issue but had to abide by the decision taken at Drakensberg.

9. Surely, given the shortage of Officers, an 8-hour shift will greatly increase the number of Officers available for duty at any one time?

This is being researched by the Treasury Department.

10. Will the DMPS consider moving back to an 8-hour shift system?

Awaiting response as per question 9 above.

11. How many applications to the DPP for new speeding sites have been made since January 2011?

20 sites.

Dear Editor

I’m tired of the abundance of professional whingers I have to deal with on a daily basis. Too often do I hear throw away comments about how “the municipality does nothing” for our rates and taxes. Such statements demonstrate a level of ignorance which should have no place in the South Africa of today. In eThekwini we patently have water, electricity, excellent roads, reliable refuse removal (recycling), beaches, pools, uShaka, ICC, and yes parks and gardens – even though many spaces aren’t maintained as well as they should be.

Further, a huge proportion of our budget is spent spent rolling out infrastructure, services and housing to parts of the City where there were none before. How many of these professional moaners have actually driven to Waterloo or through the new KwaMashu town centre or visited Bridge City and seen that despite the many issues facing this council, money is actually spent relatively well.

I continue to be stunned by the number of people quite happy to say things like “we get nothing” for our taxes or “the government does nothing”. Do yourself a favour, go to Zimbabwe or Mozambique or Angola and spend some time there. Perhaps then you’ll stop taking for granted the services our governments provide.

And don’t get me wrong, Cape Town refers, we could and should be doing more and better but we’re hardly doing nothing.

CLLR WB CHAPMAN
Glenwood

A quick and simple email as the real one below sent tonight can be the difference between the lights being fixed in a week or a month. Do your bit and report lights when out.

If you think the council is taking too long to fix the lights you reported, please feel free to escalate through me.

Email to: custocare@elec.durban.gov.za

“Dear CustoCare

Please attend to faulty street lights in Glenwood on pole numbers:
- 34, 32, 30, 28, 26, 24, 22 and 20 on Nicolson Rd
- 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 36 Esther Roberts Rd

Regards
Warwick”

The eThekwini Municipality is simply not doing enough to stem asset losses due to cable theft. As I have explained before to this council, Cape Town has managed, through a well-resourced metals theft combating unit, strict enforcement, and now this initiative to reduce asset losses due to cable theft to a fraction of what it used to be.

There is no reason whatsoever why we should not be reproducing these successes in eThekwini. We are simply not interested in taking this issue seriously enough to muster the political will required to take the measures which have been shown to work in other parts of the country.

This proposal is quite simple. Given the extent of cable theft in our Metro, it is many orders more cost-effective to leave lights in certain high-theft areas on 24 hours to lower the risk of theft, than it is to replace that length of cable.

We can no longer sit back and do nothing about this economic growth sapping crime. I urge you to support this and any other initiatives which seek to reduce cable theft.