FRESH WIND BLOWS IN POLICE SERVICE

Newly promoted Commissioner of Police Isaac Magagula

IT is not the number of guns, manpower or amount of money you have, but your management approach and strategy that will bring down crime levels.

And newly promoted Commissioner of Police Isaac Magagula is coming in with a new strategy that starts off by looking inward – out. The strategy touts assertiveness, efficient use of available resources, creation of strategic partnerships and being the best that each officer can be in the fight against crime.
“Together we must ensure that we transform the Royal Swaziland Police Service (RSPS) into a hard, aggressive, robust, professional and honest organisation. The aim is to rid the Service of all acts or deeds that may bring dishonour to the public we serve,” Magagula said in conversation with Swazi Observer, a month after he was elevated to the hot seat.
And if he can get the support he so desperately needs from his charges and superiors, Swaziland will see the day when its citizens sleep easy, whilst criminals shiver in their hellholes. A new day has dawned in the war against crime as Magagula moves in to ring in changes that seek to transform the RSPS into a dynamic, relevant entity that meets the expectations of the people.
enthusiasm
“It is important that we start with the basics. When we were given this mandate we realised that the first thing to do was to transform the organisation internally. To inject a sense of optimism, motivation and enthusiasm to each and every member of the Service and to have them embrace the overall vision of policing by the consent and mandate of the people. There is nothing as frustrating as leading an organisation of demotivated people, thus the need to start by motivating all members of the police service,” Magagula said.
In the short space of time, Magagula – ever the hands on administrator – has met all the commanders of the Regional Police Headquarters to infuse the spirit of seriousness, alertness and promptness in service to the people. He hopes to have rolled out the strategy to all police stations in the country by end of 2009. It is important to Magagula for him to get the ‘buy in’ and contribution from his charges so they see the new approach not as an imposition, but each to fit perfectly in the chain.
The major thrust of the strategy is the ‘LUNYAZI’ method of doing things that demonstrates that any laissez-faire approach to service deliver has no place in the organisation. It seeks to galvinise the organisation’s administrative and operational frameworks to induce efficiency and maximise service delivery.
“LUNYAZI entails speed and/or urgency in our crime response mechanisms, whilst embodying the qualities of professionalism, empathy and civility. For example, we have taken note of the fact that the common cause of public disgruntlement in the manner some police officers execute their duties is late response to distress calls and other forms of unsatisfactory service. With the LUNYAZI mode of doing business, we are confident that our customers will be satisfied with our services,” he said.
management
Gone are the days when people would label police officers according to their departments, such that a person would unashamedly breach a traffic rule just because the officers in the vicinity are not from the traffic section. It’s all hands on deck in terms of crime management in this, the Magagula era.
“Team work is important and everyone must be seen to be creative, open minded and not work in silos. This is part of our integrated approach to crime prevention and management. We want to ensure that all police officers, regardless of branch positing, play an active role in fighting crime.
“For example, traffic police officers also contributing in fighting crime and not solely focusing on their traffic responsibilities. This strategy also advocates the sharing of resources between the various departmental branches and generally, presenting a united front in executing the core mandate of the Service,” said Magagula when unveiling his strategy.
The new Commissioner is a strong believer in leadership by example and he insists that he will be the first one to abide by this new approach.
“The leadership must be visible, available and on its toes to respond to any eventuality and to drive the strategy. We will discourage any form of remote control management or the armchair type of management. I say delegate, don’t dump. I will be the first to show the way by putting this vision and strategy into practice,” Magagula said.
He finds truth in the expression: ‘there are no bad officers, but bad leaders’ which is why he is calling for visibility among his executives and commanders.
Magagula calls this approach: ‘management by walking around’ as opposed to armchair management. He explains that this management style means that those in command positions are not expected to be office-bound, but should go out and monitor operations on the ground and trouble-shoot potential problems before they escalate.
support
One thing that has not escaped Magagula is the fact that try as he might, he can never succeed alone, or only with the support of his charges and superiors. He understands that without the full cooperation and partnership of all stakeholders, his brilliant ideas will remain just that – brilliant ideas.
One such stakeholder group is the Community Police Forum – an organisation with whom the Police Service has had several ‘tense’ moments in the past. Magagula said it was important for all parties to understand that they are facing one common enemy – crime. He said that is why they have to work in common purpose and have a way to deal effectively and peacefully with their differences of opinion.
“We will mobilise strong bonds of partnership through structured organised forums, such as the outreach programmes that have already been initiated. To this end, partnerships with stakeholders identified as part of the value chain in the fight against crime will be strengthened. These stakeholders include, among others, the media, and leadership structures in communities at chiefdom level, community police, the business community, municipalities, churches and private security companies,” he said.
Magagula added that they will regularly conduct public opinion surveys, so that our operations can stay relevant in addressing the needs of the people we are mandated to serve. “In other words, we fully embrace the philosophy of policing with the consent of the public. The media, on account of its wide reach, is part of the value chain of stakeholders we have identified to forge a partnership with in the fight against crime. Thus, we will be transparent in our dealings with the media, and hold quarterly briefings aimed at accentuating the war against crime and tackling it from all fronts. The first briefing session will be held in December,” he said.