July 19, 2007
By Emily Visser
THE metro police's new training academy was officially opened on Tuesday, 17 July by the member of the mayoral committee for public safety, Thomas Phakathi, and the US ambassador to South Africa, Erich Bost.
It can accommodate up to 600 students with a new academy hall and training facilities built at a cost of R3,5-million. The academy, set up to train Johannesburg metropolitan police department officers, is the only accredited police training facility in Gauteng.
Funding was obtained from the United States government after a bilateral agreement was concluded between former presidents Nelson Mandela and Bill Clinton.
Over 600 police cadets have already been trained at the new academy, situated in Stafford, south of Johannesburg, since it was opened in July 2006. The latest students received their second stripes at a ceremony on 17 July, graduating from the second phase of the basic training course for new metro police recruits.
Some 52 students were trained from other municipalities, including Ekurhuleni, Emfuleni and Mogale City.
Aspirant police academy students need to pass a number of strict selection criteria and a formal interview before they may be enrolled in the basic training course. Once they have completed the basic course, which consists of a theory and practical component, they receive their first stripes and are posted to various police stations in the city to start their field training.
Two-year course
Total training takes 24 months, most of which is spent at police stations and "mentored supervision of all types of police duties in the field" before students receive their official police badges.
In the theory aspect of the basic training course, police recruits learn about the National Road Traffic Act, dangerous goods, by-law enforcement, vehicle loads, community policing and police ethics. During practical training, they are taught traffic control, systematic examination of vehicles, basic accident recording, firearm skills and tactical pursuit of suspects.
The academy also offers advanced courses in specialised fields such as the dog unit, the equestrian unit and drugs and explosives. It has a research and development unit that explores ways of improving individual policing skills.
So far, it has posted a 100 percent pass rate, according to Wayne Minnaar, the metro police spokesperson. "With the strict screening [procedure] and the large numbers of applicants we are able to get the very best."
Thousands of applicants
And the police courses are very popular. "The academy received 15 000 applications for the next intake of the six-month basic training course starting at the end of this month."
Prospective students need valid documentation, including a South African identity book, a matric or tertiary certificate and a driving licence.
After the applicant's documents have been validated, screening includes a physical assessment, a numeracy and literacy test, and fingerprint background checking to "ensure the applicant does not have a criminal record".
There are now just over 1 900 metro police officers patrolling the city's streets, Minnaar confirms; a total of 4 000 police officers will be deployed by the time the football World Cup kicks off in 2010.
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