ZIZAMELE CEBEKHULU-MAKHAZA: Raising the ceiling on police recruitment age will add boots on the ground

In an attempt to curtail crime, the SA Police Service (SAPS) recently announced that it will raise the recruitment age limit from 30 to 35 years for the 2024/25 recruitment period. This is in hopes of increasing the number of police officers patrolling the streets — a number that is now about 187,000. An additional 10,000 trainees will be upskilled to supplement the current cohort.

The announcement by deputy police minister Cassel Mathale on August 5 is ideal as it provides a solution to more than just one issue. The SAPS has been criticised for its top-heavy command structure and low deployment of visible policing in the past, and officials are facing challenges due to limited resources.

There have been attempts in the past to place more boots on the ground. In 2021 visible policing was allocated 51% of the total policing budget to, in part, boost officer numbers. But public sector budget cuts and union concerns over promotions and wage increases circumvented this attempt.

The decision to extend the recruitment age cut-off by five years is a positive step towards addressing chronic understaffing, one that we believe will have a substantial positive effect. With depleted resources already crippling the police in its task agreement, creating more opportunities for trainees to enter the service will go a long way towards alleviating the demand and bridging the gap in the police-to-population ratio.

Now, the ratio stands at one police officer for every 378 South Africans. In some high-crime areas this ratio becomes skewed, putting more strain on police officers to manage their daily tasks and take pre-emptive steps to fight crime.

The police will now be able to tap into a larger pool of potential candidates who have the skills, experience and maturity to serve as police officers. It will also help diversify the police service to better reflect the demographics of society. Moreover, it will provide an opportunity for unemployed and underemployed youth who have been struggling to find decent work in the current economic climate. 

Resource limitations

With a crime index score of 75.5 SA has Africa’s highest crime rate and is ranked the fifth most dangerous country globally. The country also has the most dangerous areas, including Pretoria at 82 index points, followed by Durban and Johannesburg at 80.9 and 80.7, respectively. This is a clear indication that the police is struggling to meet its responsibility to prevent, combat and investigate crime, and we must do everything in our power to change that. 

In addition to resource limitations, budget and related resources within the police are disproportionately being allocated to promotions instead of being funnelled into strategies and goal-orientated projects to prevent and combat crime. In 2012 the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) called on the police to address the top-heavy structure and promotion policy.

Promotions based on political affiliation rather than experience or skill have created a situation where there are more desk-bound officers than active-duty officials working on maintaining law and order on the streets. 

Though a step in the right direction, raising the recruitment age alone is not enough to ensure we have a well-trained, well-equipped and sufficiently motivated police service. We also need to address the issues of low salaries, poor working conditions and inadequate resources that burden our police service, affect the morale, performance and professionalism of our members, and may undermine public trust. 

We will continue to engage with and work alongside police management and the government to achieve better wages and benefits, safer and healthier workplaces, more vehicles and equipment, transparent recruitment and promotion processes, and greater accountability and oversight of the police.

We will continue to support our members in their efforts to uphold the rule of law, protect human rights, and serve our communities with dignity and respect. 

• Cebekhulu-Makhaza is Popcru president.