Gauteng Water Police take to the deep blue sea for training

The Gauteng Water Police Dive Services (WPDS) Unit, comprising 23 divers, 13 supervisors, and 15 vessel handlers, supported by specialised units like K9 Search and Rescue, attended to various operations including drowning victim recovery, rescues, crime prevention, and policing events near water bodies.

Regularly collaborating with the SAPS K9 Search and Rescue, SAPS Air Wing, and other emergency services, the WPDS conducts searches via air, canoes, boats, divers, and foot patrols.

ALSO READ: Police divers recover five bodies across parts of Gauteng

Utilising diverse underwater techniques, sniffer dogs detecting gases from submerged bodies and eyewitness accounts enhance their efforts.

In the 2023/24 financial year, the WPDS achieved notable milestones of 229 call-outs, 1 460 hours on scenes, 228 practices, 2 8014 minutes of bottom time, 174 bodies recovered, 14 rescues, 254 exhibits recovered, 112 crime prevention operations, and 26 events policed.

From July 12, 16 WPDS members, led by the provincial head, Brigadier Govender, attended their annual mandatory ocean training camp.

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The intense training included daily dives and classes to maintain SAPS operational standards and commercial diving regulations.

Typically, operating in dams and rivers, the WPDS is always ready to respond to disasters nationwide.

Upon arrival, the team began the briefing at 15:30, discussing the week’s program and medical dive compliance.

Starting Saturday at 06:15, the team completed six dives at the Sodwana beach by Wednesday.

Each dive began with safety and protocol briefings, focusing on equipment inspection, underwater communication, buddy checks, buoyancy control, and regulated descents and ascents.

ALSO READ: Local police recover bodies

The deepest dive reached 27 meters with a bottom time of 22 minutes, helping members practice buoyancy, deal with fluctuating currents, and manage underwater pressures.

Daily classes covered dive tables, hazard identification, rope rescue anchor points, and diving injury treatments.
On Thursday, members drove to 9 Mile, a remote part of Sodwana Bay, to enhance off-road skills and vehicle capabilities.

This exercise built confidence in navigating remote rural scenes and facilitated team building.

The camp concluded with a debriefing before dinner on Thursday, and members returned safely to Gauteng on Friday.

Resuming their regular duties, these dedicated officers continue their voluntary secondary roles in the elite WPDS unit.

@bedfordview.edenv

The Gauteng Water Police Dive Services (WPDS) unit, comprising 23 divers, 13 supervisors, and 15 vessel handlers, supported by specialised units like K9 Search and Rescue, is dedicated to various operations including drowning victim recovery, rescues, crime prevention, and policing events near water bodies. Regularly collaborating with the SAPS K9 Search and Rescue, SAPS Air Wing, and other emergency services, the WPDS conducts searches via air, canoes, boats, divers, and foot patrols. Utilising diverse underwater techniques, their efforts are enhanced by sniffer dogs detecting gases from submerged bodies and eyewitness accounts. GautengPolice #WaterPolice

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