Members speak openly to me about their workplace concerns.  I take their willingness to do that as a compliment.  They should always feel free to confide in Police Association office-holders.  What they have to say forms the basis for much of the advocacy the association undertakes on their behalf.

This is why genuine engagement is critical.  It engenders trust and confidence and enables us to operate as a powerful collective.

And collectivism gives us the best opportunities to achieve impactful outcomes in such areas as well-being, safety, job satisfaction, and pay and conditions.

The failure to progress the implementation of the response extended-hours roster is one issue of concern to members.  Their lack of confidence in DPM2 is another.

Staffing crisis

SAPOL has failed to attract police recruits, or even combat attrition.  Members are voicing their concern about this dire staffing situation which exacerbates the existing impact of demand exceeding capability.

Equally concerned, well-intentioned managers do their best to make this bad situation work but the failure to attract recruits has caused workplace hazards.  SAPOL, in its response to the front-line staffing crisis, has restricted secondments and delayed promotions and transfers.

Members have asked:

  • “How is it fair my promotion or transfer is delayed; my anniversary date is pushed out and I’m financially disadvantaged?”
  • “Why am I being penalized for SAPOL’s lack of recruiting?”

Restricting the secondments of front-line officers might be intended to maintain maximum resources at the coalface but it further penalizes those same police officers who suffer most under relentless workloads.

Patrol officers suffering burnout and seeking to diversify their professional experience or decompress from the rigors of 24-7 police work are robbed of those opportunities.

District Support Section staff are providing much-needed assistance to realign time-consuming tasks (related to the security of people) away from district resources.

And the mental-health co-response trial in Northern District aims to deliver more efficient management of mental-health incidents.  This is to reduce police time spent on scene, transporting patients, and waiting at hospital.

Police Association president Mark Carroll and assistant secretary Steve Whetton and I are members of the Premier’s Task Force.  We aim to ensure that the development of a sustainable staffing model is one of the results of our input.

Stalled promotions

Members are vocal in their concern about stalled promotions and the promotional framework.  It would seem time for a fairer, more objective, centralized promotional assessment process.  And it should reduce, or remove, the risk of subjective, opinion-based assessment founded on who has “the tick” or “green light” instead of ability and merit.

Officers of police continue to voice their concern about the absence of the right to independent reviews of promotional selections above the rank of inspector.  There is no avenue through which to lodge a grievance.

We live in an era of demand for transparency.  Oversight and a focus on anti-corruption measures have increased.  So, a sound argument exists for all promotional positions, up to and including the rank of chief superintendent, to be open to appeal and, where reasons exist, independent review.

Under discussion with the government is the legislative recognition of officer-of-police positions as “prescribed promotional positions”.

Justice delayed is justice denied

Over-long disciplinary investigations and outcomes and administration orders, used in a way many consider to be a punitive fashion, are further concerns.

These processes come with an impact on promotional opportunities, transfers, and secondments.  And that causes members to suffer mental anguish and anxiety, which could otherwise be reduced, or avoided, by sticking to reasonable timeframes and appropriate communication.

The association has written to Commissioner Grant Stevens to raise its concerns about the use of administrative orders and associated disciplinary processes.