Cricket World Cup
4 April 2007
Today National Commissioner Jackie Selebi met with a contingent of South
African Police Service (SAPS) members who are about to depart for the Caribbean
to render operational assistance during the Super 8 series, the semi-finals and
the finals of the Cricket World Cup 2007 in Grenada, St Lucia and Barbados.
The SAPS has been involved in the security planning for the Cricket World
Cup in the Caribbean since June 2006 after the South African Government agreed
that the SAPS, which has internationally recognised capabilities in securing
major events, could be deployed in a support capacity. Commissioner Selebi, as
National Commissioner of the SAPS and as President of Interpol, has been
closely monitoring the planning and deployment process.
77 members of the security forces will be deployed from 8 to 29 April 2007
and the SAPS team is made up of 64 members from the elite Special Task Force
and National Intervention Unit, as well as bomb disposal experts, detectives,
hostage negotiators, crime scene investigators, explosive dog handlers and a
command and control group under the leadership of Deputy National Commissioner
Andre Pruis. All SAPS members will be wearing their own uniforms and will
operate with their own equipment and firearms, including dogs and bomb disposal
equipment.
The SAPS will be accompanied by a group of members from the South African
National Defence Force (SANDF), made up of personnel from the SANDF Special
Forces and the SANDF 7 Medical Battalion.
The SAPS and SANDF will perform general operational support duties, such as
the sweeping of venues, airports and harbours, VIP protection and crowd
management. They will also serve as a reaction force which will deploy in the
event of an emergency requiring the implementation of a contingency plan in
Grenada, St Lucia and Barbados. However, in the event of a high risk emergency,
they can also be deployed to any of the Caribbean countries. The concept of
deploying a permanent reaction force at major events is also under
consideration by the SAPS for application during the Soccer World Cup 2010.
This is not the first time that the SAPS has rendered operational assistance
to another country during a major event. When South Africa hosted the Cricket
World Cup in 2003, the SAPS successfully deployed members in Kenya to assist
with security operations.
"The SAPS is once again proving that we are a first class policing agency
which is prepared to share our skills and expertise with other countries and
thereby also gain invaluable knowledge and experience," Commissioner Selebi
told the group of excited police officers.
He also told them that he has no doubt that they will fly the South African
flag high and act at all times with the dignity and efficiency that is
associated with their uniforms and badges.
Enquiries:
Sally de Beer
Tel: (012) 393 1574
Fax: (012) 393 2165
Cell: 082 779 8658
E-mail: debeers@saps.org.za
Issued by: South African Police Service
4 April 2007
Source: South African Police Service (http://www.saps.gov.za/)
