Community to be involved in recruiting police - Mthethwa

Addressing hundreds of young people at Lentegeur Civic Centre during a police recruitment drive, on Wednesday, 22 January 2014, Mthethwa said he was determined to root out rotten and criminal elements in the police service.

"We are going to clean (up) the police service in this country... bit by bit, we are going to take out those that are not supposed to be police officers and those who are a problem we will take them out... and then deal with them as the police service," said Mthethwa.

The measures, which form part of an overhaul of the police's current human resource strategy, include engagements by police with community associations - such as religious bodies and community policing forums - during the recruitment of new police officers.

The names of successful candidates would also be published in the media to allow community members to comment on the suitability of candidates.

While their names are published in the media, successful candidates would be requested to attend a two-week camp.

During this time, further screening measures would take place, including the retaking of fingerprints, to ensure that those taken by human resource officials are legitimate.

With its current recruitment drive the police service is looking to take on board 678 members in the Western Cape.

Mthethwa stressed that one could apply for various fields in the police service - from forensic services to the police's own air-wing.

"This (the police service) is not a dumping ground, where if you have failed elsewhere you come here," stressed Mthethwa.

Fielding questions from young people present, Major General Dineo Ntshiea said the divisional commissioner of personnel management stressed that before being accepted into the police service for the required two years of training, candidates must also be physically fit.

"We want fit police officers. The criminals out there are doing a lot of planning, some of them are fitter than our police officers," said Nthiea, who also warned those young people present against filing any fraudulent applications.

"If you apply with a fraudulent matric, don't bother to apply, because we will arrest you," she said.

Those looking to join the SA Police Service (SAPS) must be aged between 18 and 30, be in possession of a senior certificate or national certificate and be proficient in at least two languages - of which one must be English.

Though candidates should be in possession of a driver's license, the police service has made provision to reserve about 10% of spots for those that do not have a driver's license, to ensure that those from underprivileged areas are also given a chance to enter the service.