Johannesburg - The lack of permanent appointments in the SA Police Service (SAPS) and the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is affecting employees' morale, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) said on Tuesday.
''We do not have permanent national commissioners both in the SAPS and the DCS. This has had serious implications on the strategic direction within the SAPS, which has led to hampering of service delivery and negatively affecting police officers’ morale,'' the union said after holding a central executive committee meeting over the weekend.
Popcru also said it was concerned about overcrowding in prisons and understaffing at national and regional levels in correctional services. The union demanded the appointment of two commissioners and the filling of vacant regional head posts.
The SAPS organisational structure has been changed more than six times in the past five years, with each commissioner ''bloating it further'' and concentrating at top managerial levels, Popcru said, adding that this led to duplication of duties and compromised service delivery.
At the DCS, the Occupational Specific Dispensation (OSD) was yet to be finalised, affecting workers' income. The OSD was introduced in the public service to improve government's ability to attract and retain skilled employees, through increased remuneration.
''Some of the workers affected have since passed on, others have resigned without benefiting from what is due to them. There are no permanent regional leadership bodies as everyone is acting at these levels, therefore failing to look into the long-term objectives of the DCS,'' the union said.