The Independent Policing Union of South Africa (IPUSA) has congratulated and welcomed 1 918 newly trained police constables to the ranks of the South African Police Service (SAPS). The officers will officially be incorporated into the service by the acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia together with Deputy Ministers, Dr. Polly Boshielo and Cassel Mathale and the National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola in Bhisho, Eastern Cape.
The Eastern Cape province is expected to host the largest pass out parade with 849 graduates at the Bhisho SAPS Academy on Friday, with other passing out parades taking place simultaneously across the country.
IPUSA General Secretary Mpho Kwinika told YOU FM Newshour listeners that the numbers of the new recruits are still below, given the high rate of crime in the country.
“The numbers are important in servicing South Africans.Remember, democracy demands good policing, democracy demands police that are responsible and accountable. Now you cannot be responsible and accountable if your numbers are less than those of the people you are servicing. Because that is going to put so much pressure on you and at the end of the day, you will make mistakes that will make south Africans to stand against you,” said Kwinika.
Last month the SAPS launched its e-recruitment drive for 5 500 aspiring police officers to join its ranks, but it received more than a million applications at the time of the closing date for its 2025/26 Basic Police Development Learning Programme (BPDLP). According to the SAPS, the newly trained constables, who underwent the Introductory Police Development Learning Programme (IPDLP), are all graduates who hold qualifications in criminology, policing, law, forensic investigation and various other fields of study. IPUSA has also called for better modern training of police officers to bolster crime-fighting efforts especially at the 30 stations with the highest crime rates in the country.
“Police training is measured against the status of the community’s behaviours or conduct. Currently South Africa is a very violent country. We see everyday people are being killed, utilizing these automatic rifles, people continue to kill each other even for minor squabbles. So, the training of police officers must be upped to that level where they will be able to protect their lives and the lives of others. It would be of no use for them to be given a lesser training than the people on the streets, because that would result in them being sent to their deaths and I don’t believe South Africans will be happy with that,” explained the General Secretary.
Kwinika has raised the union’s concern about the police killings in the country. Six SAPS members have already been killed since the April 1, 2025 to date.
“This is one element that is really disturbing, not only to us as the police unions but also South Africans at large because it is instilling fear in the police officers. But we are happy to see police men and women waking up continuing to do what they are supposed to be doing. These numbers will not bring much change now because these young police officers are only bringing in with them an introductory course in policing, the rest of the courses they are going to learn on and off duty. So, they cannot be allowed to work on their own, they will have to depend on their counterparts who have already been in the service for some time,” remarked Kwinika.
In addition, Kwinika said if the service had more numbers, maybe it will be able to address the shortage of manpower, which he described as one of the main causes that lead to police deaths.
