How to become a constable - See the 12-month programme every recruit needs to complete

David Bruce, an independent researcher on violence, policing and public security told Daily Maverick that the quality of decisions and processes at various levels of the police recruitment model was failing within a broken system.

The failure, he pointed out, could be taken back to the transition to democracy in the mid-’90s and, to a large degree, the system had stagnated.

“Essentially what the system [training programme] is doing at this point is simply reproducing itself, despite the fact that in the world we live in there are new dimensions to the problem of crime.

“The South African Police Service has a certain kind of formula for responding to these problems and basically at the top level the key problem is that we don’t have the capacity to provide a coherent direction to our policing system,” he said.

Meanwhile, the SA Police Service has launched a national investigation to determine whether recruitment procedures were flouted during the hiring process, amid allegations reported in Daily Maverick of recruits paying for admission to SA police colleges.

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-11-16-police-confirm-nationwide-probe-into-alleged-corrupt-recruitment-of-trainees/

Responding generally to police recruitment, Bruce points out that SAPS is still following a generic formula without effectively maintaining training and selection systems.

Bruce also questioned whether the SAPS even has sufficient human resource capacity to uphold and implement necessary selection and training standards.

“It’s reasonable to assume that those systems are not capable of doing the right kind of selection. Right across at every level of the system there are questions about whether the system is functioning in an optimal way in order to ensure that people with optimal skills are performing the roles,” Bruce said.

The programme’s goal is to empower newly appointed trainees to:

1. Employ a variety of legal and policing abilities to safeguard and assist community members in accordance with the South African Constitution.
2. Offer a more efficient service that would boost community satisfaction and put trainees in a better position to carry out their purpose of establishing a secure environment for everyone living in South Africa.

Structure of the Basic Police Development Programme entails:

1. Foundation phase focusing on acquiring necessary knowledge and skills.
2. Weaponry instruction that includes disassembling, cleaning a firearm and target shooting using a 9mm pistol, a shotgun and an R5 rifle are all included.
3. First aid instruction that covers cardiopulmonary resuscitation, drowning and suffocation procedures (CPR).
4. In the event of crowd management, what to do and how to respond.
5. Addressing domestic violence and gender-based violence.
6. Assessment of crime scenes, active cases, and statement-taking training which includes dismantling and cleaning a gun.

For as long as an officer is in service, training is a part of their responsibilities. Programmes for advanced training include:

1. Specialised training in a variety of professions, such as forensics, dog units, and detective work.
2. Expert firearms instruction.
3. Instruction in hand-to-hand combat.
4. Look into serious offences.

Requirements for recruit enrolment at SA police colleges:

1. Must be a citizen of South Africa.
2. Be between the ages of 18 and 3o.
3. Possess a senior certificate or an equivalent degree, of which he or she must provide documentation.
4. Have English and one other official language proficiency.
5. Have never been convicted of a crime.
6. Take a medical exam and pass it.
7. Complete a health questionnaire and a physical fitness evaluation.
8. Submit to a psychological and integrity evaluation that the National Commissioner deems appropriate.
9. Be ready to serve and receive training anywhere in the Republic of South Africa.

The Basic Police Development Learning Programme is taught at approved SAPS academies designated for this purpose. All Saints, Bhisho, Graaff Reinet, Mthatha, Chatsworth and Ulundi in Kwazulu-Natal, Tshwane, Bishop Lavis and Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape are among the academies that the SAPS maintains. DM

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