Original Research

The impact and challenges of a public policy implemented in the South African Police Service, Northern Cape

Prosper K. Hoeyi, Karabo R. Makgari
Africa’s Public Service Delivery & Performance Review | Vol 9, No 1 | a374 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/apsdpr.v9i1.374 | © 2021 Prosper K. Hoeyi, Karabo R. Makgari | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 06 December 2019 | Published: 19 January 2021

About the author(s)

Prosper K. Hoeyi, Department of Business Support Studies, Faculty of Management Sciences, Central University of Technology, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Karabo R. Makgari, Department of Business Support Studies, Faculty of Management Sciences, Central University of Technology, Bloemfontein, South Africa; and South African Police Service, Supply Chain Unit, Northern Cape, Kimberley, South Africa

Abstract

Background: South Africa has evolved new policies and legislations to renew the governance and administrative systems of the country in the wake of multiparty democracy. However, public institutions, including the South African Police Service (SAPS), are still criticised for poor service delivery. The SAPS has often blamed its perceived poor performance on inadequate resources despite the existence of a supply chain management (SCM) policy that seeks to bring efficiency in the acquisition and deployment of resources for service delivery. Therefore, using the framework of public policy theory, this study sought to assess the perceptions of personnel at SAPS in Northern Cape province on the SCM policy’s impact on service delivery and the challenges thereof.

Aim: The aim is to contribute to the understanding of how SCM policies enhance the service delivery capabilities of government departments.

Setting: The setting is SAPS in the Northern Cape province of South Africa.

Methods: The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design with a main survey and a follow-up survey being conducted. The main survey involved data collection from 174 staff members while the follow-up survey involved 70 respondents.

Results: Statistical analysis of the two sets of data revealed that the SCM policy has had some positive on service delivery. Staffing inadequacy was found to be the biggest challenge. In fact, 12 out of the 15 challenges are attributable to the human factor.

Conclusion: The SCM policy has had some positive impact on service delivery in SAPS NC, but there is room for improvement.


Keywords

goods; public; service concept; service delivery; supply chain management.

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