JMPD recruits returned to training to complete competency training
This decision was made in the best interest of the new recruits and that of the City.
Last year in November, during the previous administration, led by former mayor Herman Mashaba, 1 085 new recruits were paraded as having completed training. The Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Public Safety, councillor Mally Mokoena, has now received a report from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), which is the competent body to accredit and evaluate the training of traffic officials within the Republic of South Africa, that the trainees did not complete training.
The previous administration deployed officers knowing full well that they were neither qualified nor ready to perform law-enforcement duties including points-duty at major intersections.
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The MMC took a decision to recall them to the academy after engaging with both the trainees, the leadership of the academy and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) to ensure they are well trained and can fully execute their responsibilities once graduated.
This decision was made in the best interest of the new recruits and that of the City. The JMPD is one of the critical areas of delivery within the City, and creating a safer city is one of the priorities of the Government of Local Unity (GLU).
“We are a responsible and caring government. We cannot place at risk the lives of newly trained municipal police officers by placing them on deployment without completing the requisite training and providing them with the necessary tools to perform their tasks.
“What was done in November 2019, to parade and deploy unqualified officers, will be investigated and action will be taken. The deployment of unqualified officers placed the lives of the citizens of Johannesburg at risk and is a matter so serious that we cannot be complicit and be party to it as the new administration,” said Mokoena.
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The City will ensure that the officers complete all training required and that they are deployed to services once all the required instruments to qualify them as MPO’s have been certified.
The GLU is focused on ensuring that the residents get the services they deserve. “We are also finalising discussions on the points-men, to have them back on our roads as soon as possible to assist with the ease and free flow of traffic. This is critical to our economy, especially during peak hours and load-shedding,” said Mokoena.
