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MBABANE – Aspiring police recruits are now a target of imposters who call to demand monies from them under the guise that they will secure them a job in the police service.

The fraudsters are reportedly demanding money ranging from E2 500 upwards.The imposters are pretending to be among the recruitment team at Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) and calling some of the candidates undergoing the selection exercise, which includes interviews. The selection in the police service is still ongoing and in July, the candidates sat for their aptitude tests, which were conducted in the four regions of the country. The application phase began on October 21, 2021, where aspiring police officers submitted their applications to their nearest police headquarters.

Warned

In an interview with the Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, she warned the aspiring officers not to listen to the imposters. According to Vilakati, aspiring officers were expected to go through the last recruitment stage before acceptance.

She warned the candidates against listening to anything that they would be told by the fraudsters.

“The candidates now understand the communication lines between themselves and officers as we have been dealing with them for a while now.” Vilakati said they would continue to use the usual mode of communication. She said they would not describe the communication lines as they would be by extension tipping-off the imposters.

Vilakati stated that if candidates needed clarity on anything, they should visit their nearest police station, where they would get answers.

Meanwhile, she clarified that there was nowhere in the recruitment exercise where they would be required to pay money. When asked whether dates had been issued of the entry at the Police Academy, she said it had not been set and would be communicated with the applicants. She said the recruitment exercise was now at its last stage.