After a staggering 65 000 applications were received for the 1 500 Metro police positions, the department had to sift through and prequalify them down to 7 500 who still have to undergo tough physical fitness tests.
This test, conducted over 10 days, included a 2.4km run which women had to complete in 14 minutes and the men, in 12 minutes. It also included a make-or-break obstacle – a 1.8m wall, lowered to 1.6m for women – that each applicant is given two attempts to get over. If they failed, their names were struck off the list.
Successful candidates then provided Metro police with more information such as fingerprints. This would, according to Public Safety MMC Michael Sun, be used to check for criminal records.
“After undertaking the fitness test, applicants will [also] be required to undertake an aptitude test, which will consist of a literacy and numeracy tests. The applicants who fare positively in this regard will then proceed to the interview section where their past experience and both the results of the aptitude and physical tests will indicate whether the applicant will be selected to be part of the 1 500 MPO trainees.”
Sun attended the first phase of the assessment on 19 May where he witnessed applicants like 31-year-old Lesedi Matjila jump over the men’s 1.8m wall and surprisingly, she finished the 2.4km route in nine minutes.
“It has been my dream since I was young to be a policewoman,” she said.
Sun said the increased capacity will essentially double Johannesburg’s Metro police’s ground force. “This is the first time there has been this many people taken in. A recruitment agency was appointed to assist with the process that was designed to be fair, transparent and to avoid any possible nepotism and corruption.”
Meanwhile, many applicants were turned away at the gate of the Metro police training academy where the physical tests were conducted. Sun said after he investigated, it had become clear that some unsuccessful applicants who were not contacted to attempt the physical test still showed up and were subsequently turned away.
“We want to encourage all applicants who did not qualify this time around, to continue with their efforts and hope that we will see their applications again during our next intake,” Sun said.
The 1 500 who finally qualify will undergo 18 months of intensive training before becoming Metro police officers.
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