There is an apparent lack of in-depth knowledge about the processes that may underlie the interaction between work and home life, and their relationships with employee health and well-being. Work and home has traditionally been considered as separate domains, but during the past decade of democracy, transformation developments (eg, Affirmative Action, Employment Equity) changed the nature of the labour market and economy. This facilitated the increase in the number of working single-parent, dual-earner families, and of women participating in the workforce, which in turned influenced the work-home interaction of employed individuals. Furthermore, various researchers regard burnout and engagement as important constructs to consider in the well-being of employees. The level of a person's wellbeing subsequently affects his/her functionality in both the work and home spheres. Thus, there is a need to identify ways which both the individual and the organisation can apply to increase personal well-being and the balance between work and home life. South Africa has 11 different national languages, and only 8,3% of the population actually speak English at home. Language differences should therefore be taken into account when administering questionnaires. Studies in South Africa generally report race, education, language, and understanding of English as the main factors which impact on construct and item comparability of psychometric tests. There is consequently an obvious need to translate research instruments before they are administered to individuals from different language groups. If language differences are not taken into account, invalid conclusions regarding the constructs under study could be made, with serious implications for culturally diverse settings such as in South Africa. The objectives of this research were to translate the Survey Work-Home Interaction Nijmegen (SWING), Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) and Utrecth Work Engagement Scale (UWES) into Afrikaans and Setswana, and to investigate the construct validity, construct equivalence and reliability of these instruments. Furthermore, differences between demographic groups regarding work-home interaction and well-being were investigated. Finally, a structural model was tested, which included job characteristics, negative and positive work-home interference (WHI) and well-being (burnout and engagement). A cross-sectional survey design was used. Random samples (N = 685) were taken from police stations in the North West province. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to determine the construct validity and equivalence of the measuring instruments and to test the structural model. The results indicated that work-home interaction can be described as a four-dimensional construct consisting of negative WHI, positive WHI, negative home-work interference (HWI), and positive HWI. This factor structure was equivalent across all three language groups and all the scales were reliable. A four-factor model was confirmed for burnout and included exhaustion, cognitive weariness, cynicism and professional efficacy. A one-factor model was found for engagement. Both translated instruments were found to be equivalent for the three language groups. Furthermore, a second order factor analysis revealed that the underlying structure of well-being consists of two negatively related and equivalent factors, namely burnout (exhaustion, cognitive weariness and cynicism) and an enlarged engagement construct (engagement and professional efficacy). Members reported more negative WHI than negative HWI, and more positive HWI than positive WHI. Statistically significant differences exist between demographic groups regarding work-home interaction based on language, gender, marital status. parental status and education. Statistically significant differences of wellness exist between demographic groups based on language and educational level. The results of the structural equation modelling revealed that job demands were directly and positively associated with negative WHI and burnout, while job resources were directly and positively associated with positive WHI and work engagement. This also indicates the partial mediating effect of WHI between job characteristics and wellness. In addition, a lack ofjob resources was associated with higher levels of burnout. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Harsh realities exist in the South African Police Service (SAPS) that require concepts such as burnout and work engagement to be studied in the context of work-related well-being. Although these difficulties relate to police officials experiencing work-related trauma, more stressors seem to manifest on an organisational level, which in turn affects the psychological well-being of police officials. This study seeks to focus on the burnout and engagement of members of the Local Criminal and Record Centre (LCRC) in the SAPS. The members of the LCRC are exposed to severe occupational stressors relating to their job content, which necessitates research in occupational stress relating to the health of SAPS members. For the purposes of this study, the model of occupational stress, commitment and ill health of Cartwright and Cooper (2002) will be utilised to explain strain and organisational commitment. Work-related well-being, on the other hand, can best be explained by referring to the model of well-being developed by Schaufeli and Bakker (200 1 ). Since job demands play a central role in burnout, it is necessary to implement preventive organisationally-based strategies to address high job demands. Upon reviewing stress research, it became clear that a serious lack of intervention research exists. Little information is available about the work-related well-being of SAPS members, whilst no documented research could be found regarding the effects of an intervention programme on the work-related well-being of LCRC members. The study aimed at utilising three levels of intervention (primary, secondary and tertiary) on organisational and individual level. An integrated classification scheme of both the positive and negative aspects of work-related well-being on the organisational and individual level was developed and presented to members from the LCRC over a one-year period. The research method for each of the three articles of this study consisted of a brief literature review and an empirical study. An availability non-randomised sample was selected because the entire in-tact group of the LCRC of the SAPS (N=111) in the North West Province was included in the study. A survey design was used to achieve the research objectives of both Articles 1 and 2, whilst a longitudinal survey design was utilised in Article 3, where the same instruments were administered at two different times (over a one-year period) to the same group of participants. The measuring instruments used in this study are the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Job Demands-Resources Scale (JDRS), Health subscales, Organisational Commitment subscales, the ASSET questionnaire and a biographical questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was implemented to test a structural model of work-related wellbeing. A good fit was found for the model in which perceived job demands contributed to burnout which, in turn, impacted on ill health. Work wellness was determined by the relationship between two opposite constructs, namely burnout and engagement. The work-related well-being of members of the LCRC was affected by an environment of high job demands and inadequate resources. In Article 2, multiple regression analyses showed that occupational stress explained 19% of the variance in psychological ill health and 17% of the variance in physical ill health. A two-step multiple regression analysis conducted with the variables in their continuous form revealed that control was a statistically significant predictor of both physical and psychological ill health, while job overload statistically significantly predicted psychological ill health. Occupational stress also explained 17% of the variance in individual commitment and 16% of the variance in organisational commitment. It was concluded that individual commitment moderated the effects of stressful work relations on ill health. LCRC members portrayed a high risk to fall ill due to exhaustion; they were less enthusiastic about their job and tended to derive a lower sense of significance from their work. In addition, members showed a major risk for developing low affective commitment due to low work engagement. Exhaustion influenced the way members view their job demands, organisational and social support, as well as growth opportunities available to them. A lack of advancement opportunities and job insecurity contributed to feelings of exhaustion and cynicism. Another objective of this study was to evaluate interventions used to promote work-related wellbeing of LCRC members. Although no significant differences were found between the pre- and post-measurements, some positive aspects did flow from the interventions. For instance an active effort by management to address resource needs. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Background: Due to various factors, such as the restructuring of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in 1996, Police Social Work Services decided to broaden the scope of its services by developing and introducing proactive personnel capacity building programmes (PCBP's). Fifteen PCB programmes had been developed by 1999, which gave rise to the need for a comprehensive impact assessment of these programmes. This resulted in the Evaluation of Personnel Capacity Building Programmes (EPCBP) research project that was launched in 2001. The evaluation of the Healthy Lifestyle and Coping with Change programmes formed part of this comprehensive study. Objectives: The primary aim of the study was to determine the effect of the Healthy Lifestyle (HLS) and Coping with Change (CWC) programmes on the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of SAPS personnel. Method: The comparison group pre-test and post-test design and triangulation were used during this research. Six measuring scales and a presenter's evaluation questionnaire were developed and completed by 196 (HLS) and 184 (CWC) experimental group respondents, 38 (HLS) and 41 (CWC) comparison group members and 10 (HLS) and 7 (CWC) presenters. Results: With the help of various measuring instruments and the triangulation of measurements, it was determined that the Healthy Lifestyle and Coping with Change programmes had a practical significant effect on the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of the respondents. It was concluded that these programmes were effective tools in the hands of Police Social Work Service (PSWS) because they not only empowered SAPS personnel to lead more productive professional lives, but also enhanced their personal well-being. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

This thesis explores the question, 'Who do South African police officers think they are and how does this shape police practice?' Based on eight months of ethnographic fieldwork in Cape Town and the Eastern Cape province of South Africa in 2012/13, it is an exploration of the deep-seated perceptions, stories and imaginings that South African Police Service (SAPS) officers have of themselves, their occupation and their country, in the early twenty-first century. It unpacks how officers’ individual narratives shape, and are shaped by organisational narratives and forces, and how this interplay influences police practice in an unequal and violent young democracy. The thesis suggests that a job in the SAPS is primarily just that, a job. It is a means to strive and survive in a country saturated in vulnerability and risk. Most officers join the organisation after other dreams have slipped out of reach. Once recruited they re-write their self-narratives to accommodate their new circumstances. Recruited from lineages long-oppressed, the meaning and income the job brings to their lives is usually more important to them than the work they carry out. As a result, they seek first to please their institutional overseers and ease the pressure of the job. This is achieved by enacting institutional performances that promote the idea that the SAPS is a rational, effective, evidence-based and rule-bound organisation made of up well trained officers performing common-sense crime prevention tasks, while hiding the darker side of police work. Using carefully choreographed performances, the SAPS and its officers present a strategically crafted façade behind which individual officers strive to secure their sense of self. When the façade is challenged, some resort to violence in an attempt to garner the respect they seek.

Dissertation / This dissertation analyses the effectiveness of specialised units within the South African Police Services as exemplified by the Gauteng Waterwing Unit. Factors influencing the effectiveness are analysed, and the advisability of making these units permanent units within the South African Police Services structure is evaluated. Different policing styles are discussed with regard to their effectiveness in different situations and their applicability in the water policing context. Possible corrective actions to reduce the influence of factors hindering service delivery are proposed. The analyses were accomplished by examination of the literature supplemented by practical field observations and interviews. / Police Practice / M.Tech (Policing)

Masters of Public Health - see Magister Public Health / The World Health Organization (WHO) considers violence to be a global public health problem. It is estimated that 1.6 million people worldwide lost their lives to violence in 2000. This translates to a global rate of 28.8 deaths per 100 000 population. The end of Apartheid in South Africa in 1994 brought about various economic, social and political transitions within the country, resulting in rapid urbanization, increasing unemployment and deepening inequalities. Consequently, these conditions also brought about increased incidences of crime and violence. The South African Police Service (SAPS) recorded approximately 2.58 million crimes in 2000. The SAPS faced many challenges in transforming the eleven South African Police Forces to a combined South African Police Service in 1994. Literature has indicated that while serious crimes increased, the chances of an offender being caught and punished declined between 1994 and 2000. During the 2002-2003 financial year the SAPS recorded a national homicide rate of 47.4 per 100 000 population. The Western Cape and Limpopo province had the highest and lowest provincial homicide rate of 84.8 and 12.1 per 100 000 population respectively. Other studies indicated that city-specific homicide rates for Cape Town increased from 84 to 88 per 100 000 population between 1999 and 2001. A pilot study conducted in Cape Town during 2003 to determine victim-perpetrator relationships and motives for homicide that occurred in 1999 was hampered by difficulties in tracing police dockets, inconsistencies in data capturing, and the absence of perpetrator information due to some court cases not being finalized. It was therefore decided to conduct a qualitative, descriptive, comparative study between two police stations in Cape Town. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with police officers at different ranks to document the procedures and route of reported crimes and to explore the factors impacting on the criminal investigation process. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic content analysis. The interviews provided an insight to the contextual environment and the attitudes of police officers regarding the transformation of the SAPS, and identified the factors impacting on the criminal investigation process at the two selected police stations. Issues discussed are discipline, restructuring and motivational factors regarding the transformation process, as well as training courses, the court impact and the relationship between the detectives and prosecutors. The main constraints identified at both police stations were human resources, training courses and vehicles. Social support and community factors are also discussed. The interviews with police officers revealed that there are various issues of management at national and provincial level that need to be addressed, such as detective recruitment standards, training courses and the management of different crime types to reduce the workload of detectives. The need for closer collaboration with the courts to avoid the misplacement of dockets and to minimise delays in the finalisation of court cases was also identified. Previous studies have also identified blockages within the South African criminal justice system and it is hoped that this study could highlight those issues that still need to be addressed.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Social Work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Social Work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

M. Tech.Labour Relations / The South African Police Service (SAPS) will not be able to function if Constables fail to perform their duties efficiently and effectively. Constables are the face and hands of the SAPS at societal level, but face severe challenges and obstacles in their jobs. It is therefore critically important that they are satisfied in their employment relationships with their immediate supervisors. The researcher believes that many forms of undesirable organisational behaviour among Constables in the SAPS could be related to low levels of satisfaction in their employment relationships with their immediate supervisors. The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the employment relationship satisfaction of a group of Constables in the SAPS: Tshwane region. The investigation will focus on levels of employment relationship satisfaction and the significance of differences in employment relationship satisfaction levels of constables with different biographical characteristics (e.g. race, age, gender, language, marital status, length of service, qualifications)