Police Ministry clarifies position on reservists

17 Nov 2010

The Ministry of Police wishes to reiterate and clarify its position on reservist recruitment as well as operational conditions within the South African Police Service (SAPS). Our decision to once again clarify this follows an inappropriate article in The Star (17 November 2010, Page 2) headlined: "Reservist cops feel chill of new draft."

In the article it is alleged that reservists will get different uniforms from those of SAPS permanent members; that there will be a different reporting structure for all reservists and that certain police stations do not know about this draft policy.

From the onset, the reservist system was never introduced as a stepping stone to securing permanent employment into the SAPS. Instead it was aimed at allowing citizens to volunteer their time to assist the police in fighting crime. Any allocation, whether it be uniform, stipends or operational conditions, will be based on a policy as agreed upon by the department.

For the benefit of the public, last year the ministry clearly outlined the processes and steps we followed in addressing the challenges facing these reservists. This was done in a consultative and transparent manner. To this end, any changes or improvement in our policy will not be a one-way process as it is not our preferred stance to adopt a ‘impose and implement approach.' As we do with most of our legislative and operational framework, we believe in a multi-faceted, transparent approach, particularly in soliciting the views of the affected parties.

There is a draft policy that has been developed which is up for discussion and consultation. As constitutionally-stipulated, only the Minister can sign any change in policy. Until this draft reaches the Minister's desk, it remains as such, a draft. It would therefore be misleading to imply that "reservist cops feel chill" based on something that is not even policy. 

Statement issued by the South African Police Service, November 17 2010

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter