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

Firstly, to the resident who SMS’d last week about the derelict house in Somerset Ave, the formal processes for remedy have been exhausted and the issue has now been handed over to the enforcement team for action to be taken against the property owner. Unfortunately these things do take time but you can rest assured that in the background the cogs are moving.

To the land owners in Essex and Enfield roads who are working to clean up their derelict buildings, thank you very much for doing your bit to rid this community of grime and contribute to our efforts to combat crime. With the support of eThekwini officials we are also following up on other derelict houses including those in Evans Rd, Davenport Ave, Macdonald Rd and Bartle Rd.

You might ask what it is that you can do as a member of this community, or any other for that matter, to contribute to cleaning up and improving safety? In short, you can help in one of two areas: crime and grime. Combating crime is only effective when the community partners with SAPS, and getting involved with the Community Policing Forum is the most effective way of achieving that. Neighbourhood watches which work in conjunction with the CPF are another. Ridding our community of grime makes criminals feel less at home, and when we feel safer to be out and about in our numbers, we reduce the spaces in which criminals operate. We do this by maintaining our buildings, keeping vacant plots and bushes under control, cleaning our parks, and ensuring our public infrastructure is in a good state of repair.

You can help by taking initiative where you see a problem to either mobilise community members and tackle the problem ourselves or to work with public officials to find a solution. We have much to do in both combating crime and ridding our community of grime but a collective desire to improve will ensure we see the change we need. Inch by inch, with the support of community members, we will make Umbilo and Glenwood among the safest and most friendly places to live in eThekwini.

Warwick Chapman, Ward Councillor for Glenwood and Umbilo

Note: The answers are listed below the questions.

The Speaker – eThekwini Council
Councillor Logie Naidoo
City Hall
DURBAN
14 October 2011

Dear Mr Speaker

QUESTIONS IN TERMS OF SECTION 17 OF THE RULES OF ORDER

The enforcement of speeding on our roads is a critical exercise to reducing fatal accidents. “Speed Kills” we are told but there are some serious questions about the ability of Metro Police to enforce speed on our roads.

It is in this regard that I table the following questions:

1. The National Department of Transport has recently committed itself to the International “Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020”. Is the eThekwini Municipality aware of this initiative and are we willing to commit this municipality to support the initiative?

2. How many calibrated and functional mobile speed enforcement equipment does the eThekwini Municipality have currently?

3. Are the cameras referred to in 1. above deployed to enforce speed every day, ie. Are there days when the equipment is not all being used for speed enforcement?
3.1. If not, why not?

4. How many prosecutions for speeding were made in the 2010/11 financial year?
4.1. Of those, how many prosecutions were made on the M-roads and N-roads in eThekwini (eg. M13, Western Freeway, M19)?
4.2. Of those, how many prosecutions were made on other classes of municipal road?

5. Is it true that speed is only enforced on residential roads if the average violation is over 20km/h over the limit? (eg. On a 60km/h road, there must be large number of vehicles travelling at over 80 km/h before enforcement will take place)

6. Are there any plans to increase the amount of speed enforcement taking place in eThekwini?
6.1. If yes, have any targets been set?
6.2. If no, why not?

7. Why do Metro Police continue to place unmanned speed cameras on bridges despite a court order ruling this action unlawful?

8. Given the necessity for increased speed enforcement in residential areas, should the cameras in 7. above not be used to make our residential roads safer.

Yours faithfully,

Councillor Warwick Chapman
Democratic Alliance

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Answers as provided at eThekwini Council Meeting on 30 October 2011:

Councillor ZRT Gumede in her capacity as the Chairperson of Health, Safety and Social Services Committee provided the following respective responses:

1. Yes, Council would commit to and participate in this initiative in any way possible.

2. There are five calibrated and functional mobile speed devices in use.

3. Yes, every day with the exception of when there is severe rain or unplanned departmental requirements, i.e. strike action.

4. A total of 134 712 prosecutions were initiated for the 2010/11 financial year, of these 76 236 were enforced on highways, freeways and main roads. We do not do enforcement on national roads; this is undertaken by KZN RTI.

5. An instruction from the KZN Director of Public Prosecutions is that no prosecutions may be initiated for vehicles travelling less than 20 km per hour over the speed limit.

6. Yes, there is an initiative to increase speed enforcement in eThekwini. We are in a process of converting a large number of red robots cameras to speed cameras thus motorists will not only be charged for crossing red robots but also for speeding.

7. Mobile speed equipment and devices are not left unmanned; however enforcement personnel are not required to sit right next to the equipment. This is for personal safety and health reasons, i.e. sun. There is no such court order preventing enforcement on bridges.

8. Speed enforcement by laser camera equipment may only be performed on sites that have been inspected and authorised by the DPP’s office. The DPP’s office has authorised 72 sites for eThekwini mainly on highways, freeways and main roads and urban roads where the stopping of vehicles is considered dangerous to drivers and pedestrians.

This speech was prepared for the eThekwini Council meeting on 27 September, 2011. The motion was passed by the full council with only the Minority Front abstaining.

Why I now favour speed humps for road safety

As ward councillors we receive many requests for speed humps to be installed by residents worried about their safety and the safety of their families.

One of the requests I submitted recently was for a section of Clark Rd and I explained that between Manning and Bulwer, there is a Childrens Home, Student Residence and two Churches. As many ward councillors will know, the typical response goes something like this:

“Current Council Policy precludes the installation of speed humps on higher order roads” and “the accident record on this road is insufficient to meet the policy requirements”.

On the one hand there is merit to not adjusting the engineering of a road unless there is evidence that there are problems with it, the accident record. Instead, we should be able to rely on regular speed enforcement on our roads as a deterrent.

On the other hand, we know and need to accept at least for now, that our Metro Police are incapable are enforcing speeds on our roads. As I showed last year, Metro Police only have 50% of the staff they need, and I have confirmed that they only have 1 speed timing device for the entire Metro. So, as many have asked, must we always wait until people die before we change the engineering?

I remind council of the protests which took place last year in KwaMashu K-Section because residents were fed up with their children being killed and injured on Nkonjane Road while council stood by and threw the rule book at them.

I used to be firmly of the opinion that we must only change the engineering of our roads where there is a known problem shown in accident statistics, despite the efforts of our Metro police to enforce the rules of the road. Of late, however, I have grown weary of trying to inspire improved performance out of the Metro Police.

If we are honest with one another, we will accept that Metro Police are extremely efficient at issuing parking tickets and staging road blocks. However, active enforcement activities like speed enforcement, interception of wreckless drivers and drivers jumping lights or stops has all but ceased.

I am thus now firmly of the opinion that we need to take practical engineering measures to improve the safety of our residential roads on more roads than we have before. This means both more money and a change in policy.

I understand that a policy review has already been called for, and it is thus against this backdrop that I have tabled this Notice of Motion asking our officials to review the World Health Organisation’s “World report on road traffic injury prevention” and consider the recommendations while undertaking our policy review. Further, acknowledging that we need more engineering interventions, I have asked that the budget for traffic calming measures be doubled for the next financial year.

Thus, considering what I have put before you, I humbly ask for your support in this matter which affects each and every one of us.

Cllr Warwick Chapman | 083 7797 094