THE EVALUATION OF MOTIVATION IN TURKISH NATIONAL POLICE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF CONTENT THEORIES

TÜRK POLİS TEŞKİLATİNDA MOTİVASYON VE BUNUN KAPSAM TEORİLERİ AÇISINDAN DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ

Abstract

The mission of Turkish National Police (TNP) is to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of people, take necessary measures to ensure public order and offer security service within the law. In order to achieve its above mentioned target and improve the staff performance to the desired level, it is very important for the TNP to use human and material resources, and motivational tools such as social, psychological, financial and motivational tools related to police efficiently. Hypothesis of this study is based on the following thought: “Motivational tools used by the TNP to improve organizational and individual productivity are problematic”. A literature search was conducted to test this hypothesis. When discussing the problems regarding the management of police motivation in TNP within the framework of the “Content Theories”, It was limited to the policing issue. Because there are distinctive qualities of police profession. Police officers have got important job-specific problems about the nature of policing which are about advancing in career and emerged due to the effects of external factors; these problems result from the functioning, atmosphere and culture of the police organization. In other words, the situation for the police is; one touch, a thousand ouch. It is possible to say the police are right about their reproach on unfair behavior of superiors, injustice in appointments, the provision they don't get in return for their value they deserve, the police organization leaving them alone, their achievements that are not appreciated and insufficient salary. It wouldn't be realistic to talk about productivity and motivational tools managed properly in an organization where there are great many complaints and which directly concerns the happiness, health and psychology of thousands of people. The tools that motivate the police of a country will vary according to that country's geographical position and climate; social, economic, political and administrative status; and the security threats faced by her. Besides, the population density of the location of the police, the education level and seniority of the personnel and the availability of some tools and equipment depending on the organization's budget can also affect the motivation of the police. While even the availability of the air conditioning in the offices of police departments in the hot African countries motivate the police, the way to motivate the police in U.S.A where the life standard is high is to give the police annual leave more. Hiring police candidates, who have spiritual values about integrity and independence of the state, in the countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan where domestic turbulence is intense will facilitate the motivation management of those countries. In some South American countries where the drug trade and the crime of money laundering are accepted as security threats, satisfactory salary and provision of secured housing for police families will increase the efficiency of the police so that they can better fight those crimes. The police service that is responsible for the protection of public safety and fighting crime and criminals in the law is one of the public institutions affected most by any developments in the world, the flow of information and the globalization’s positive and negative consequences. Because criminals know no bounds for their crime methods, tools and locations. Today, it is possible to see Transnational Organized Crime gangs behind a crime in Turkey. According to the report of the UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), organized crimes' money movement all around the world was about 877 billion dollars in 2009. This amount is 1.5 of the world income (GDPGross Domestic Product). Having high performance police officers who will fight crime gangs directly concerning a country's economy and people's lives in security, help people in their difficult moments, remain faithful to democratic values so as to prevent crimes and keeping these policemen focused on the job is not possible with the written law or by just increasing the salaries. Well-selected and well-trained police officers' motivation must be managed successfully in order to fulfill all these works. It is possible to talk about the study's potential to contribution to the police literature and possibility of contributing to the legal and administrative regulations to be made on the issues concerning policing because of the results the study presents. The study reached the following conclusions and recommendations: There are important problems generally in Turkish public management and particularly in TNP (Turkish National Police). TNP must firstly determine the standards of policing services via work study and analysis in order to be successful in motivation management. Police students who are suitable for the standards of the profession and loves it must be trained in police training schools where contemporary-modern and application-oriented basic policing education is applied. It will be easier to provide motivation for the police officers who love the job and received a quality basic training for policing before the profession. In fact, policing is not subsistence for those who cannot find work. Motivational tools used in TNP must be revised. Motivational tools used in TNP must be updated by taking today's security threats, expectations of the police officers, and the country's social and economic realities into consideration. Especially "prize money" and "rank promotion system" which are among the tools used to promote success in TNP has become a cause of strife-conflict in the institution rather than promote success. The prize money law must be reorganized or removed completely. The rank promotion system based on aging must give way to the rank promotion system that cares about performance and concrete merit criteria. Even a 30-year-old police chief with high performance should be able to get the top ran

Özet

Türk Polis Teşkilatının (TPT) misyonu bireylerin temel hak ve hürriyetlerini korumak ve toplumun düzen içinde yaşamını sürdürmesi için hukuk ilkeleri içerisinde güvenlik hizmeti sunmaktır. TPT'nin bu misyona ulaşabilmesi için sahip olduğu maddi ve beşeri kaynakları verimli ve etkin bir şekilde kullanması oldukça önemlidir. TPT, çalışanların performansını arzulanan seviyeye yükseltebilmek için mali, psikolojik, sosyal ve polislik mesleğine özgü motivasyon araçları kullanmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın hipotezi: "TPT'nin bireysel ve örgütsel verimliliği artırabilmek için kullandığı motivasyon araçlarının hukukunda ve yönetiminde önemli sorunlar vardır." düşüncesi üzerine kurulmuştur. Hipotezi sınamak için yöntem olarak literatür araştırması yapılmıştır. Çalışmada TPT'deki motivasyon yönetimine dair sorunsallar kapsam teorileri çerçevesinde tartışılırken polislik mesleğine indirgenebilecek ve konumlandırılabilecek şekilde sınırlı tutulmuştur. Nitekim polislik mesleğinin başka kamu ve özel örgütlerde bulunmayan kendine özgü nitelikleri vardır. Çalışmanın hedefi polisin mesleğinden dolayı iş hayatında ve özel hayatında yaşadığı sorunların TPT'nin uygulayacağı iyi bir motivasyon yönetimiyle aşılabilir olduğunu ortaya koyabilmektir. Çalışmanın özgünlüğünden ve alana katkı sağlama potansiyelinden bahsetmek mümkündür. Çalışmada; TPT'nin bir örgüt olarak kendisinin ve personelinin performansını artırabilmek için kullandığı motivasyon araçlarından bazılarının çalışanı güdülemekten uzak olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır