May 2001 Volume 82 Number 5 "serving the protectors"
by Trevor Haskell PASA Vice President

Elections

In the recent committee election, I stood for the positions of both vice-president and ordinary committee member. In the past, I would have been dropped from the general vote had I won the VP position. But the Police Association changed from the state electoral commission to the federal one, which now controls the election. It read the rules differently. So, the procedures of the past were revisited and the election process made more complicated. Clarifications to the rules are being drafted to ensure we return to the old ways, but I am left holding two positions.

The process provided me with useful feedback, and I thank all those who voted. I will retain the vice-president position and have relinquished my ordinary committee member position. There will be a new election for that vacancy as soon as possible.

Police youth policy

I read with interest the recently released police youth policy. It is sometimes easy to become removed from the varied strategies in which police involve themselves relative to community initiatives. Youth initiatives are a critical part of social policy and as important in policing as they are in education. The diversity of projects running reflects the inventiveness of local officers and their interaction with their communities.

I was particularly interested in the Murray Bridge Youth on the Move and Oodnadatta Bicycle Program initiatives. The Youth on the Move seemed to create useful community liaisons in what sounds like a well-integrated manner. The Bicycle Program sounds so simple but appears so effective – beat boredom. Encourage and reward – what powerful learning tools.

Members involved in programs might like to outline their initiatives on paper. I know I would like to read more about them.

Employee Assistance Section

In late 2000, a survey was sent to 1,000 SAPOL employees seeking their thoughts about the Focus 21-inspired merger and movement of Welfare, Psychology and Chaplaincy into one unit housed in Flinders Central, and the potential outsourcing of services provided.

During the debates with the Focus 21 project team, those of us in these sections argued that for client service and confidentiality we were better placed away from police headquarters. We were accused of being self-serving and interested in protecting our existing magnificent offices.

The survey was to try to establish what the key stakeholders, individual clients and managers felt about the service provided.

The survey also had some questions about the location of the service. This was a tad odd because the decision for our relocation to Flinders Central was already made. The old media rooms on level one north (next to the medical section) will be remodelled to fit us in. We, the providers of the service, are unsettled about the floor plan. It does lack some privacy for clients. There will be some loss of flexibility for client parking and child minding, but we will get through that. We will work with clients who have concerns about anonymity to ensure there is continued confidentiality. This may mean using other facilities away from the building, but your needs will remain paramount to us.

Good news for us was that the survey data reinforced our views. The vast majority of employees had concerns about Flinders Central as our workplace. While only 50 per cent felt it was not easily accessible, there were significant concerns about anonymity, and a majority preferred another location. The vast majority indicated a preference for in-house service provision. The satisfaction levels for service delivery were also positive.

There was little doubt that the previous director was moving towards outsourcing. The appointment of a new HR director will bring new ideas. What those ideas will mean to our service delivery we will deal with in the future. I thank those who took time to complete the survey. The results of the survey will assist the Employee Assistance Section to develop programs and procedures that will enhance the service delivery to clients.

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