NEW CLASS OF POLICE OFFICERS JOINS THE FIGHT AGAINST CRIME
F our thousand five hundred and one (4501) police constables graduated at eight SASSETA accredited SAPS Academies throughout the country in March after completing a two-year Basic Police Development Learning Programme (BPDLP). The BPDLP was introduced by the organisation in an effort to improve SAPS training and enable members to provide a more effective and professional policing service.
The above is in line with government’s National Development Plan to ensure that all police officials will be professional individuals working within the ambit of the law and human rights whilst rendering a quality service to the communities they serve. The programme entailed 10 months of training at the training academies, 12 months of practical training at police stations and two months of integrated assessment at the training academies. The BPDLP equipped the members to apply legal and policing skills to serve and protect the community. The members have successfully completed various learning modules and practical challenges over the past 24 months aimed at making them mentally and physically fit to deal with various challenges that lie ahead of them in their policing career.
The constables are a new class of police officials. It is the second time that this standard of police training has been presented. They have received training which is consistent with the education and training development landscape within the country and which is aligned to the accreditation rules. These graduates are leaving the training academy ! "# $ %&
& The training presented meets standards in terms of current training methodologies, assessment standards and moderation of assessment standards. The Safety and Security Sector Education and Training Authority monitors and quality assures the training.
' $ trainers are required and current SAPS trainers are a combination of serving police, as well as those with legal and teaching experience. They are also registered moderators and assessors and as such have a code of ethics that they must adhere to. Should they fail to adhere to the code of ethics, they face deregistration. The BPDLP is also internationally benchmarked as various other police agencies have been consulted to understand the training they provide and the methods they use. All 10 SAPS academies which offer training are accredited institutions as required by law. The SAPS does not have a “pass one, pass all” policy. All graduates were thoroughly assessed. From the total of 4679 candidates registered for this program, 178 were not successful in their integrated assessment. They are currently receiving remedial training and will be assessed again at a later stage.
The BPDLP is also internationally benchmarked as various other police agencies have been consulted to understand the training they provide and the methods they use.
This is an indication of the SAPS’ strong stance to maintain a stringent curriculum with a view of producing quality police men and women in blue. Policing in a democratic dispensation means that the human rights of the communities that we serve must be respected at all times. Human rights are therefore a golden thread that runs through all the different modules.
The new police officials understand and appreciate that a great deal of authority and responsibility has been bestowed on them by virtue of their profession. They have the power to arrest and detain, in other words to take a person’s freedom away from them. This is a power never to be taken lightly or to abused.
The new police officials are ready to serve and protect the people of South Africa, to prevent, detect and combat crime, to maintain peace and stability and to enforce the law.