Browsing by Author "Van der Westhuizen, Janine Melena"

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    Views of SAPS social workers on essential development areas of police members’ emotional intelligence
    (2016-12) Van der Westhuizen, Janine Melena; Engelbrecht, Lambert; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Social Work.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Police members regularly deal with emotionally charged and stressful situations as they perform their duties. The emotionally intense police environment requires of them to use their emotional intelligence skills. They need to be able to understand and regulate their own emotions and deal with the emotions of community members affected by traumatic incidents. Different jobs may require varying levels of emotional intelligence, but in the police environment a high level of emotional intelligence is important in the execution of duties. Therefore, members require emotional intelligence skills to become more competent, professional and efficient in their work. Emotional intelligence is a set of skills such as intrapersonal, interpersonal, stress management, adaptability and general mood that can be learned and improved on regardless of an individual’s current level of functioning. The essential development areas of police members’ emotional intelligence were unknown and were explored through the views of social workers. In this study, the nature of a police member’s work, the role of the social worker in the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the need for the development of police members’ emotional intelligence were described. A conceptual framework for the development of emotional intelligence within a law enforcement context was provided and recommendations by social workers for the development of police members’ emotional intelligence were presented. Qualitative research methods were used in this study. A combination of exploratory and descriptive research designs was utilsed as framework for the implementation of the research approach. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants. Face-toface and telephonic interviews were conducted. Data were gathered by means of semistructured individual interviews with 20 social workers. A pilot study was carried out to test the measurement instrument. The design of the interview schedule was based on the information obtained from the literature review. The findings of the empirical investigation confirmed the findings of the literature study. It was found that emotional intelligence competence can improve service delivery and enhance career satisfaction. It can enhance police members’ social competency in dealing with their professional and personal lives and improve intrapersonal relationships in the workplace. Emotional intelligence skills were found to be useful in Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za iii dealing more effectively with crowd control, domestic violence incidents, resistance to arrests, murder cases, assisting rape victims, child abuse cases and taking statements. It was confirmed by social workers through the use of examples that police members were able to use their emotional intelligence skills, but they need improvement and development in all areas of emotional intelligence that were previously mentioned. The recommendations resulting from the study indicate that the social work department in the SAPS should embark on the development of an emotional intelligence intervention in order to enhance police members’ emotional intelligence competencies, since there is no such intervention. Secondly, as pointed out by social workers, their department should take such a programme forward, given the fact that it is already offering pro-active programmes to police members. Lastly, it was suggested that research be done on the viability should such a programme be mandatory and linked to their performance enhancement appraisal and future promotion possibilities.