23 June 2006
The number of operational police officials at police stations countrywide is
set to increase following a passing out parade of 1 878 trainees today at the
South African Police Service (SAPS) Training Institution in Pretoria West.
The trainees have successfully completed six months of the Basic Training
Learning Programme (BTLP) in which they were exposed to a series of techniques
that are critical to policing which include, among others, crime prevention,
crime investigation and physical fitness and street survival.
The street survival training programme is presented to trainees to empower
them to deal with life threatening situations, which they may face in the
execution of their daily duties. This programme will go a long way in curbing
the number of police killed while on duty and to maintain health and fitness
levels of the SAPS operational members.
The total number of trainees who passed out at parades on 22 and 23 June
from various SAPS training institutions is 3 519. They are expected to report
at various police stations in a fortnight and will be unleashed immediately to
the streets to combat crime.
The trainees will undergo a further six months of field training at the
police stations under the watchful supervision of field training officers, who
will coach, mentor and guide them on the intricacies of policing.
The SAPS has embarked on a process of restructuring which is intended to
strengthen police stations and to improve service delivery to the community. In
2000 the strength of police personnel at police stations stood at about 70 000
and by 2006 police station capacity had increased to more than 100 000.
The SAPS has also begun, in the 2005/06 financial year, to recruit 11 000
new trainees annually to bring the expected capacity to 178 000 by year
2009.
About 30 percent of the 11 000 annual recruits will go to the detective
service to plug the shortage of investigators at police stations.
Enquiries:
Selby Bokaba
SAPS Spokeperson
Tel: (012) 393 5439
Cell: 082 778 0245
Issued by: South African Police Service (SAPS)
23 June 2006
