M.A. / The effective management of resources is of cardinal importance to ensure the continued existence of an organisation. Within the context of the South African Police Service police officials render a service to their clients on a daily basis, which entails working with people and being in constant contact with people. Their work relates to trauma and problems and involves extensive exposure. As a result of the intense and dynamic nature of the service providers' contact with the community, they expend a lot of energy and suffer emotional exhaustion. Excessive exposure to trauma, a considerable workload regarding dossiers, a poorly functioning judicial system, official red tape in the organisation, frustration at the administrative system and severe staff shortages lead to individual burnout. Burnout in the work environment is a dynamic phenomenon and is assessed as a syndrome. The occupational fatigue syndrome is a distinctly defined reaction which occurs in the human science professions. It is a multidimensional syndrome on account of complex interactions in the work environment. Occupational fatigue is of a progressive nature and manifests itself in various degrees of severity. Police personnel are furthermore subjected to an ongoing process of transformation as a result of political and constitutional changes in the country. Continuous adjustment and constant exposure to trauma and contact with clients lead to exhaustion and decline in productivity.