Police prepared to combat crime
SEKHUKHUNE – The South African Police Service (SAPS) welcomed 495 newly trained Constables within its ranks on Friday, 23 September 2022.
According to SAPS, the new Constables are the first batch of 10 00 police officers that will be deployed to various stations, units and service points to bolster capacity and enhance police visibility.
Colonel Athlenda Mathe, SAPS Spokesperson, said that the members have successfully undergone the 24 week Introductory Police Learning Development Programme (IPLDP), which is a combination of theory and practice.
Mathe further informed that the passing out parades took place simultaneously at the SAPS academies in Mthatha, All Saints and Thabazimbi.
“194 stood on parade at the Mthatha SAPS Academy where the Minister of Police, General Bheki Cele delivered the keynote address, while 179 stood on parade at the All Saints SAPS Academy where the Deputy Minister of Police, Cassel Mathale also delivered the keynote address. In Thabazimbi 122 of these members stood on parade where Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI) National Head, Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya also delivered a keynote address,” informed Mathe.
Mathe informed that of the 495, 194 of these newly trained police officers were Law, Policing and Criminology graduates, while the majority of those fully fledged Constables also previously served as reservists.
“The majority of these members will now be deployed to serve within specialized units such as Public Order Police (POP), the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Investigations (FCS) to bolster our capacity to fight the scourge of Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF), as well as frontline service-delivery points at identified crime-heavy police stations,” said Mathe.
The remaining cohort will complete their training in December in to ensure more boots on the ground in the time for the busy Safer Festive Season Operation.
