Nearly 500 recently graduated police trainees have been exhorted by Police Minister Bheki Cele to put the satisfaction of the South African people first above everything else.
The Minister spoke Friday at the South African Police Service (SAPS) Academy in Mthatha during a parade of the 495 trainees who had successfully completed the Introductory Police Learning Development Programme (IPLDP).
194 trainees in all were paraded in Mthatha.
The SAPS staged three parades, the first in Mthatha at the SAPS Academy, the second at All Saints in Johannesburg, and the third in Thabazimbi, Limpopo.
The first batch of 10,000 members to be deployed as full-fledged constables to stations, units, and all SAPS service locations is made up of the 495 freshly trained police officers, according to the SAPS, in order to increase police visibility.
The trainees were reminded by Cele to follow the police code of conduct.
Don’t stray, he commanded. Maintain your lane. Let me take this chance to congratulate the trainees who were singled out by the school commanders for their excellent performance in the drill, physical training, and street survival law classes.
He congratulated the group and stated, “Relax, the ministry and SAPS administration recognise and respect that your position here has resulted from mental, physical, and spiritual hard work. So, while you go, keep your head up.
The Minister said that the trainees were the ideal set of candidates for the programme.
“All of the individuals in front of me are grads.
All 194 of the persons gathered in front of me are graduates, including criminologists, LLBs, and forensics specialists.
“Don’t downplay our pride in you as you go. But when you are really putting what you have learned into practise and going above and beyond the call of duty, that is when we will be most proud of you “said he.
He advised the graduates to carry out their responsibilities as effectively as possible in order to win the confidence of their communities.
“As you go, South Africans must be saying, “Here are our saviours,” as they observe you. You must tell yourself, “I am your hope,” and acknowledge that you are also our hope.
Avoid actions that may embarrass your peers. Simply be there for South Africans, act modestly, and stay very, very close to them.
“That’s the only responsibility you have. You should be aware of how valuable you are to South Africans. You are merely come for service; there is no employment here. It’s not a job, this. As a service, this is.
Cele exhorted the trainees to confront violent crime head-on and hunt out offenders.
“You are not being produced by us to fill new graves; rather, you are being produced to assist us in defending [people]. Stay blue, and welcome to our organisation,” he added.