SAPS management has consciously sent learner constables to the gallows

17 December 2015

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) learned with shock last week Friday that student constables across all Colleges were preparing to go home for ten days during the December holidays. The students prepared themselves to go home because they had been communicated to in writing by SAPS management that they would be granted recess during this period. However, after having made arrangements for transport in the form of taxis and having bought flights/ bus tickets, they were given an instruction that they would not go home but instead they would be deployed to work at various malls during the festive season.

According to the SAPS prescripts, these students cannot be utilised on operational matters whatsoever, until they complete their training, which will be in February 2016.

 With 82 fully qualified police officers having being killed this year alone, a figure excluding those injured in the line of duty, student constables who are, by law, not allowed to arrest,  are not  firearm competent and therefore cannot carry or utilise firearms, do not have a minimum requirement for Operational and no Appointment Certificate, are being sent out in full uniforms to do Operational duties, only with reflectors, bullet proofs and torches by the arrogant South African Police Services (SAPS) management.

In an attempt to safe this embarrassing situation, SAPS management was engaged until last night [15.12.2015] by POPCRU and the management became arrogantly defensive to proceed with their illegal actions of exposing unqualified and not-ready students into the streets. It is clear that whilst they pretend to be sympathising with the killing of police officers, their actions prove them to the contrary when they deliberately expose these poor students to be butchered by cruel and merciless criminals. All these students are currently in the theory phase, meaning they have not event completed other competencies and have no sufficient basic knowledge. To this extent, even last level students are not, by law, allowed to work outside on the field. This irrational and illegal action by the SAPS management is tantamount to suicide.

Instead of developing mechanisms and resourcing the police with the necessary apparatus to address the problem, SAPS management deploys students who are still undergoing basic training to the malls exposing them to serious danger before they become ready for crime fighting practises and procedures. This is in direct contrast with SAPS’ own prescripts which regulate the operations and functioning of the students undergoing basic training.

This situation is unfortunate and we are not going to keep quite whilst these defenceless potential servants of South Africa are hanged by the SAPS and ill-prepared to be tormented by criminal elements.

Issued by Richard Mamabolo, Secretariat: Media and Communications Officer: POPCRU, 17 December 2015