Developing the SAPS website for optimal service delivery

7 Recommendations from evaluator's reports

The four evaluators’ assessments of the SAPS website indicated that there was scope for improvement. A summary of the recommendations is given in the table below.

Table: Summary of recommendations from evaluation reports

1. Website content

General

●	The purpose of the website should be spelt out clearly.
●	Attempts could be made to make the home page more engaging.
●	More reasons to return should be built into the website content.

Content

●	An “About us” page should be considered.
●	A “Where to find us” page should be considered.
●	A Calendar of Events should be established
●	Updated reports should be posted on the website.
●	Initiatives should be published regularly.
●	A “What’s new” section should be considered instead of the flashing “New” notices on the home page.
●	A glossary could add value to the website.

Credibility

●	Contact numbers required for content providers.
●	Contact numbers required for the web team (and not only the webmaster).
●	Contact details required for authors of articles.
●	Limit the depth of content to three clicks or less.
●	Reports could be verified by referring to print copies, where applicable.
●	Dates of articles should be given.
●	Updates should be provided.

Legal issues

●	Terms of use should be clear.
●	Copyright conditions should be displayed conspicuously.
●	A privacy statement should be attached.

2. Overall design

Website structure

●	Design for an intuitive flow: Positioning of information should be logical – information should be categorised to allow easy movement through the site. The structure should be user-centric.

Navigation

●	More navigation labels should be considered, such as “Site map”, “Feedback”, “Contact us”, and “Help”.
●	It should be possible to navigate within the website without returning to the home page.
●	Give details in more than one language in the search engine.
●	A site map would add value to the website.
●	The quality of backgrounds used in the website should be investigated.
●	The indication of page positions should receive attention: Users need to know where they are on the site.
●	Greater use of navigation aids: Where text is long and vertical scrolling is required, navigation aids in the text – such as indicating “Back to top” – could be used.

Links and menus

●	All links – external and internal – should be revisited to ensure that they are adequate and that dead links are removed.
●	A top menu bar should be implemented and the other menu bars should be examined to determine whether they could be improved.

3. Website architecture (information structure)

●	The structure of information on the entire website should be re-assessed. Child abuse is, for example found under the Kiddie’s Corner – where it should not be. Hints on how to act to prevent/counter farm attacks are given on two different pages.
●	Following from above, an overall check-up should be undertaken to determine whether information is categorised effectively.
●	Menus have a different look and feel. Consistency should be striven for in order to contribute to the website identity.
●	Regarding information access, it is not always clear where to find information.

4. Website technology

Features and facilities

●	A search facility should be implemented.
●	Downloadable forms should be considered.
●	Interactivity is limited to e-mail to the Internet communication official (response@saps.org.za). More interactivity should be encouraged.
●	Browser support could be indicated, i.e. it could be specified on which browser the website is best viewed.
●	Technology is not used innovatively, e.g. no use of multimedia.
●	The URL could be reconsidered.
●	There is little attention clash on the website. However, the flashing “New” on the home page could be distracting. This could be looked into.

World Wide Web factors

●	The evaluators are not sure how much website management is undertaken. Such management could be indicated, by, for example indicating when information is updated and by regularly announcing new initiatives.

5. Website style

General style

●	The website is described as “functional” rather than attractive. However, to be optimally functional by attracting users, a website needs to be attractive.
●	The visual appeal is lacking and there is no consistent look and feel or identity.
●	Visual aspects are not always functional, for example the flashing graphics on the home page are described as “distracting”. The functionality of graphics needs to be examined.
●	The information on the website is written in such a way that it is sometimes clumsy. All material should be edited before it is posted on the website. In addition, to impeccable language use, the writing style should be adapted for web writing. Sentences and paragraphs should be short. Entire documents should be brief, if possible.

Specific elements

●	Legibility is not always good. It is sometimes hampered by incorrect use of backgrounds. All text on the website should be examined for legibility and distracting backgrounds changed or removed.
●	Backgrounds and style are widely divergent. Consistency is necessary to establish an identity.
●	Usability testing could add value because it could result in features that hamper usability being changed.

6. Website service delivery

Police-specific content

●	The target audiences should be clearly identified and the objectives regarding the audience stated.
●	Although the police service strategy has been posted on the web, the one evaluator encountered a dead link in trying to access it.
●	The vision and mission should be placed on the website.
●	Policy documents and police service documents do appear on the website. However, there are not many. More major documents should be accessible.
●	Police service successes should be published on the website.
●	The statistics on the website that are outdated should be updated.
●	Topical issues, for example the Nigerian scam and the spiralling drug abuse, should receive far more coverage on the website.
●	Details of emergency services should be prominently displayed on the website.
●	Ways of presenting high-profile crimes need to be addressed. As is stated in the evaluation, it serves no purpose to relate incidences of hijacking. Users should be told how to avoid this happening and what to do when it happens.
●	More services offered by the police should be promoted on the website.

Contacting the police

●	Reporting emergency and non-emergency crime, as well as matters other than crime, is not sufficiently aided on the website. In the case of emergency service, emergency contact numbers are, in some cases, “hidden” somewhere on the website, or buried deep – requiring many clicks, or confusing. Non-emergency contact numbers are not given. This matter needs to be rectified.
●	Reporting crime via e-mail is not encouraged. This is an important service that could be rendered and should be addressed.
●	Contact numbers for head office divisions and departments are not given. This should be addressed.
●	Contact numbers for police stations are difficult to find (under profiles).
●	South Africa has 11 official languages. Contacting the police in emergency situations and other situations should be facilitated for people belonging to language groups other than English. This aspect needs attention.

7. Website e-government service delivery

General

●	Digital democracy needs to be promoted – possibly in the form of discussion forums, online forms and feedback mechanisms.
●	The customer service offered via the response@saps.org.za should be promoted. The Internet communication official responds to queries and complaints received via this e-mail address. However, there is no indication on the website how this is managed. Posting such information on the website would let users know that needs are catered for.
●	The website should match user sophistication level. Where South Africa has 11 official languages and many communities from historically disadvantaged backgrounds, these aspects need to be considered in upgrading and developing the website.

Interactive features

●	Interactivity should be promoted on the website. This could be done by allowing users to submit content to the website and by enabling more feedback mechanisms and e-mail communication.
●	The SAPS journal (a print publication) could be published on the website – giving users more access to SAPS-related information.
●	Police initiatives should be published and kept up to date.
●	There should be more information on how to deal with emergency situations.
●	Vacancies are published, but users are not advised on how to join the SAPS. This should be done.
●	User support should be developed.
●	Surveys on user needs should be regularly conducted