Police facing skills exodus, says Popcru

The specialised ranks of the nation’s thin blue line is hemorrhaging value members, warns a concerned police union.

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) has claimed that police are facing a dire skills shortage within their Special Task Force and National Intervention Units.

This drain of human resources is not limited to elite members, with Popcru stating that their Annual Performance Plan for the current financial year showed the total number of officers fell by 17 470 in the decade between 2012 and 2022.

The cause of the drop is attributed to officers either retiring or leaving uniformed service all together, but noted how a significant portion where opting to take up better paying roles withing the private sector.

Popcru President, Thulani Ngwenya, stated: “The migration of some of our most experienced and valuable officers to the private sector is not only weakening our law enforcement capabilities, but also undermining the principle of state responsibility for protecting all citizens”.

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“This represents a serious threat to our national security, as our most skilled officers are leaving faster than we can train replacements,” he added.

Dangerous precedents set

Ngwenya was critical of the former officers’ motivations, irked by the trend of staff leaving to take up jobs as bodyguards for taxi bosses and wealthy businessmen.

Lamenting a power imbalance, he said, “Private security should not outnumber police in any country. It’s not correct that private security’s numbers are stronger than the state’s, because private security’s concern is for the rich people who can pay for their services, not for the poor or for protecting our communities.”

“The responsibility for protecting the country cannot be privatised – it must remain in the hands of the state in accordance with our Constitution.” he claimed.

Popcru calling for solutions

Popcru have urged government to muster the political and administrative will to make the police service an attractive employment option.

They have suggested the promotion of pathways for professional growth, as well as improved financial incentives. Using danger pay as an example, Popcru would like to see that amount increased from R6 000 to R20 000 per month.

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It can cost up to R1 million per recruit to train them for a two-year period and Popcru have suggested binding the recruit to a 10-year employment period once they have completed the training course.

“This would ensure that the SAPS recoups its investment and keeps its most valuable officers for longer,” explained Ngwenya.

National police spokesperson, Athlende Mathe, was approached for comment on Popcru’s stance, and her response will be added once it is forthcoming.