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A reply to a DA parliamentary question has revealed that 16 594 South African Police Service (SAPS) officials do not have valid driver’s licences. As of May 2012, the SAPS had 157 380 operational members. This means that 10% of these members always have to ride shotgun.

In 2010, former National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele told the Police Portfolio Committee that they were trying to ‘relax’ on the driver’s licence requirement.  This has clearly come to pass even though, according to the SAPS website, a valid driver’s licence is still a requirement to apply for appointment.

Police officers who can’t drive are severely limited in their ability to perform functional duties outside the police station. This also means that 16 594 SAPS members who could be out there on the road chasing criminals are stuck behind desks because they can’t pass their driver’s test. What Cele failed to clarify when he made this statement during a Police Portfolio Committee meeting, was what would happen if the new members failed over and over again to obtain their licences.

The new National Police Commissioner must ensure that all SAPS members pass their driver’s test, and that, if they fail, there will be consequences. This is a basic skill that could and should increase the capacity of the SAPS to do their jobs. It would put nearly 17 000 more SAPS members on the road to keeping South Africans safe.