By Zizamele Cebekhulu-Makhaza, President of Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union
In South Africa, crime remains a significant issue that impacts the lives of citizens daily. While government has taken steps to address this problem, the South Africa Police Service (SAPS) remains under-resourced and understaffed and, as a result, require far greater support to successfully turn the tide against violent crime.
Government recently announced plans to recruit 10,000 new police personnel this year, which is a step in the right direction. However, these recruits need to be continuously upskilled to ensure that they are capable of dealing with the wide variety of challenges they will face every day on the job. This is especially true given the increasing complexity of crime in South Africa, which requires police officers to have a diverse range of skills.
Upskilling the police force is essential to enabling officers to perform their duties more effectively. For example, training programmes can help officers improve their communication skills, cultural sensitivity, and conflict resolution abilities, allowing them to interact with citizens in a more professional and effective manner.
Given the dangers of their work, police officers must continuously hone their situational awareness, defensive techniques and firearm training. Furthermore, as criminal tactics evolve, so too must police training. Together, these factors underscore the point that training cannot be confined to the classroom – it must be performed continuously while on the job to ensure higher rates of police success and officer safety.
Additionally, although new technologies such as drones will prove a vital resource in improving law enforcement effectivity, police officials further require additional training to ensure that these technologies are utilised successfully and deliver maximum returns. Without this training, the allocation of vital resources towards new technologies will instead be wasteful.
Another critical aspect of upskilling is the opportunity for officers to specialise in specific areas of policing. This could include areas such as cybercrime, human trafficking, or forensic investigation, where officers can develop a deeper understanding of these crimes and their associated challenges.
Cybercrime, for instance, is a rapidly growing area of concern which SAPS remains woefully unprepared and largely untrained to deal with. South Africa has the unfortunate title of the sixth country most affected by cybercrime in the world, with an average of 97 victims every hour in 2021.
By affording officers the opportunity to participate in advanced training, these individuals will better equipped to lead investigations and solve these types of cases, leading to higher success rates and, ultimately, better outcomes for communities.
So, while the recruitment of new police personnel is essential, upskilling and training the police force continuously is equally crucial. It will ensure that officers are better equipped to fight crime, and it will also help build a more professional and effective police force.
Government must make upskilling a priority and provide the necessary resources to enable officers to access training and development opportunities regularly. Only then will we have a police service that can effectively turn the tide on crime in South Africa.