Investigating retention in the South African Police Service

Background In order for the South African Police Service to fulfil its mandate of creating a safe and secure environment, various human, financial, and technological resources are required. Hence, the availability of adequately trained human resources is considered critical in ensuring that the South African Police Service is able to fulfil its roles and responsibilities. Without the efforts, knowledge, capabilities, and committed behaviour of its police officers, the organisation would not be able to achieve its objectives and deliver on its mandated duties. However, recent data published by the South African Police Service revealed an increase in employee turnover, particularly at senior levels within the organisation and among highly skilled/specialist staff. Due to the stringent requirements of law-enforcement positions, the recruitment and selection of police officers is a lengthy, costly and often complex process. This is even more applicable to those in senior and highly skilled and/or specialist positions. It is, therefore, of paramount importance that an effective retention strategy is put in place to curb voluntary employee turnover and thus ensure the retention of scarce skills within the police force. Aim of the Study Being able to retain and engage police officers, a scarce resource, is vital for the South African Police Service in ensuring that it is able to fulfil its legislated mandate. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify the push and pull factors and/or the reasons that are most commonly related to voluntary turnover among the employees of the organisation. Identification of these factors would make it possible to present recommendations and/or to propose strategies, policies and practices that could be implemented to increase the retention of skilled senior staff. Method A descriptive research design was utilised. To address the research question, copies of archived exit-interview questionnaires were obtained from the South African Police Service. When an employee tenders his/her resignation, an exit interview is conducted by a trained interviewer (typically a social worker, psychologist or chaplain). During this meeting, an exit-interview questionnaire is completed and archived. This questionnaire consists of both closed-ended and open-ended semi-structured questions. A sample of exit-interview questionnaires (n=91) that comprised questionnaires from employees who held the rank of Sergeant, Warrant Officer or Captain and who had voluntarily resigned from the Western Cape South African Police Service during the 2016/17 fiscal year was obtained. Both qualitative and quantitative data obtained from the exit-interview questionnaires were analysed. Findings The findings suggested that overall, the South African Police Service was considered a good employer. The most prevalent reason for employee turnover was found to be related to the perceived safety of individuals and the risk to employees’ lives in carrying out their duties. The reasons given for resigning from the organisation were divided into two categories, namely individual factors (i.e., related to the person) and organisational factors (i.e., related to the organisation). Individual factor variables provided by respondents as reasons to leave included health, relocation, further studies, family time, rest, long service, and age. Organisational factors included better career opportunities; business opportunities; unfair treatment; lack of recognition, promotion or advancement opportunities; undesirable working hours; and issues with leadership/management. Recommendations Based on the findings, it is recommended that an effective retention strategy is implemented within the South African Police Service that includes career development, health and wellness, reward and recognition, work-life balance, and leadership. This recommended retention strategy should value transparency and empowerment and should aim to create a workplace that is conducive to good working conditions through enhancing team cohesion; creating opportunities for learning; and improving service delivery, the quality of work life, and work-life balance