Saps’ skill drain now ‘critical’

Amid surging crime statistics, the recent wave of departures of members from specialised units within the South African Police Service (Saps) has a detrimental impact on the police’s operational capabilities, unions said.

The exit of highly skilled and specialised Special Task Force and National Intervention Unit members from the divisions will leave the country’s borders vulnerable and pose a significant risk to safety and security, they said.

Thulani Ngwenya, president of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru), said the Saps skills drain was reaching critical levels.

“This represents a serious threat to our national security, as our most skilled officers are leaving faster than we can train replacements,” he said.

“Law enforcement is already understaffed and under-equipped and this exodus from specialised divisions means we cannot deal with serious crimes that fall beyond the scope of classic policing.”

Despite the recent addition of new police recruits, Ngwenya said years of neglect means there will be a gap in terms of suitably experienced personnel to replace those retiring.

This, he emphasised, will disproportionately impact specialised units, which have substantially higher appointment requirements.

“Even if the Saps trains and hires the 10 000 recruits pledged by the government this year, this will have little immediate impact on higher-level crimes,” Ngwenya said.

“Dealing with these crimes requires the abilities of far more experienced officers, who take years to train.”

According to the SA Policing Union (Sapu), remuneration may be prompting members to leave for work in the private sector.

Spokesperson Lesiba Thobakgale said the Special Task Force has seen the departure of over 50 members the past fiscal year.

“It is very concerning. We have been calling on the Saps management to act swiftly in addressing structural problems. Skilled members are jumping ship for better salaries in private security companies,” he said.