Never mind fitness and obesity, many cops
can’t drive or even shoot straight
October 15 2012 at 09:00am
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PORTLY: Heavy bellied cops on guard. This cop would have a problem
arresting a young and fit criminal. Picture: Ian Landsberg
Wendy Jasson da Costa and Kamini PadayacheE
THEY can’t run, they can’t drive and apparently
some can’t shoot either.
Many of the men and women in blue who signed up to
serve and protect appear to be struggling to fulfil their mandate because
they’re unfit, don’t have a driver’s licence and can’t shoot straight.
Already condemned for being too portly to give
chase on foot, there’s a slim chance some police officers can even drive after
a criminal.
Police minister Nathi Mthethwa recently revealed
that “… 16 594 officials are not in possession of a valid driver’s licence”.
The number was in a reply to a written parliamentary
question and was released last week.
In response, DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard said, as
of May 2012, the SAPS had 157 380 operational members.
What the minister’s figure shows, she said, “is
that 10 percent of these members always have to ride shotgun”. But Mthethwa’s
spokesman, Zweli Mnisi, argued that each person who entered the force was
chosen on merit based on their skills.
“When you want someone on board and they meet four
of the five competencies, there is no reason not to take them,” he said.
The fight against crime was not being hampered by
the officers who did not have licences as many of them did jobs which did not
require them to drive, he said. Besides, the figure included police reservists.
Kohler Barnard said it meant police officers, who
could have been on the road chasing criminals, were stuck behind their desks
because they did not have licences. It probably also meant station commanders
had to roster people according to what they could and could not do, she said.
Kohler Barnard has also asked Mthethwa to explain
to parliament why officers were failing gun competency tests and others had
failed to complete the training. “SAPS members should not be endangering the
lives of others and adding to the problem by carrying guns when they were
clearly not fit to do so,” she said.
Eearlier this year it emerged that more then 6 000
officers failed their gun competency tests and 20 000 others had yet to finish
their weapons training.
Mnisi said he could not comment on what had
happened to the officers who had failed the gun test and how many had now
completed training, as these were “operational issues”. Questions sent to the
office of the national commissioner were also not answered. Institute of
Security Studies senior researcher, Johan Burger, said officers who could not
drive should not be hired.
