Retrained Metro Police officers ready to be back on the streets by December
JOBURG – An internal audit conducted in January found that among other systematic defects in the Metro police training process, the officers had incomplete portfolios of evidence, had written backdated exams, and some did not have verifiable proof of their training.
Metro police are looking forward to welcoming back the more than 1 000 cadets who had been recalled due to inadequate training.
Last year, the cadets were recalled after graduating from college because of regulatory flaws in their two-year training programme. The officers, who have almost completed their training in Soweto and at Metro Police Training Academy near Booysens, will serve in the frontline against crime, and bylaw and traffic infringements. Public Safety MMC Mally Mokoena reassured the public that the officers would be fully prepared for their jobs after completing their training in December this year.
She said, “Our decision to recall the trainees had no malicious intent. It was based wholly on our obligation to ensure that due processes are followed and that the lives of the trainees and residents are not jeopardised by placing ill-prepared officers on our streets.”
The City’s decision to recall trainees was given credence by the Road Traffic Management Corporation which said all unit standards for their intake had not been internally verified and that the college should not issue diplomas to the graduates until this process had been completed. Mokoena added that an internal audit conducted in January this year found that among other systematic defects in the training process, the officers had incomplete portfolios of evidence, had written backdated exams, and some did not have verifiable proof of their training. “These are only a few of the myriad of missteps made during the training of the recruits.”
According to the City, it was the first time in the history of the City and Metro police that more than 600 cadets will be trained to be officers at once. The cadets have already been dispatched to several areas of Johannesburg including Kliptown, Pimville and Diepkloof to conduct vehicle inspections and data capturing as part of their practical training.
“I wish to reaffirm the City’s unwavering commitment to ensure that the recruits complete their training and serve residents with the utmost distinction.
The department will not compromise on the quality of officers sent out to the streets merely for public or political expediency,” concluded Mokoena.
