Sunday, April 28, 2013

Crimes of the South African Police Service


40% of Gauteng cops can’t drive
April 5 2013 at 09:25am
By LOUISE FLANAGAN

Johannesburg - Nearly 40 percent of Gauteng police don’t have driving licences and the SAPS management say they don’t need to drive.
Community Safety MEC Faith Mazibuko told the Gauteng Legislature that 11 611 Gauteng SAPS operational members do not have driving licences, compared to 18 872 who do.
The ranks and concomitant number of those without licences are:
* 5421 constables
* 1295 sergeants
* 3318 warrant officers
* 1098 captains
* 352 lieutenant colonels
* 127 colonels.
Mazibuko said 60 percent of those without licences were functional members working outside police stations as crew on response and sector vehicles, client service centres, as guards at cells and courts, at roadblocks and as domestic violence co-ordinators.
DA Gauteng provincial leader John Moodey , who asked the question in the legislature, on Thursday said it was “an explicit requirement for employment under the SAPS Act” to have a valid driving licence.
Department of Community Safety spokesman Thapelo Moiloa said that the members without licences were deployed as Mazibuko had described.
“However, it is a worrying factor (that) in the event that they are requested to drive attending to scenes of crime, this would compromise the safety of other drivers on Gauteng roads,” said Moiloa.
SAPS Gauteng provincial office said police no longer required licences.
“Since 2007, the SAPS nationally began to relax the mandatory requirement for a licence from applicants for employment in the SAPS.
“In 2009, the licence requirement was then removed as a requirement for recruits as an entry-level constable,” said Colonel Noxolo Kweza.
“The perception that functional members who do not have driving licences are performing administrative duties or ‘desk jobs’ is incorrect. As operational members perform their duties outside, they constantly need assistance from support members.”
louise.flanagan@inl.co.za
The Star