Issued by: SA Communication Service
SPEECH BY MINISTER SYDNEY MUFAMADI END OF BASIC TRAINING PILOT PROGRAMME 4 DECEMBER 1995
Commissioner Fivaz and Mrs Fivaz, Mr Walter, Commissioner Lombard, and Mrs Lombard Colleagues and Friends
Tonight marks the culmination of one of the most exciting events in the transformation process of the South African Police Service to date. I am very pleased to be here this evening; indeed, a full circle has turned since I attended the opening ceremony with the new recruits at this College at the beginning of the year.
In May last year, we were faced with the challenge of reconstructing the eleven police agencies into the new South African Police Service envisaged in the Constitution. This involved tackling many challenges, not least of which was the development of an education and training system appropriate to the needs of police officials in the environment.
We were fortunate to have on the table at that time the report of the international Training Committee - a committee which had been established by my predecessor, Minister Kriel, and which has worked closely with the Police Board. In addition to the report, we also had a proposal by the Police Board, for a Multinational Implementation Team to oversee the implementation of recommendations for a new training system. I must thank both the International Training Committee and the Police Board for the preparatory work which laid the foundation for the new basic training programme.
We lost no time in picking up where these bodies had left off, and created a process which would result in the actual implementation of their ideas. Although the proposals for the new basic training system were fairly clear, and had already been the subject of discussion within the police agencies for some time, we faced a new challenge in recruiting the students to enter the programme. This recruitment had to be carried out while a new SAPS did not legally exist, and had to be done according to new standards and procedures. I know that at first, many people believed that this would be an impossible task. However, with the commitment of many officials from the eleven agencies, and with assistance from the British Government, the recruitment process eventually began.
The response from applicants was overwhelming - more than 150 000 applicants for only 2 000 positions. While we are here to celebrate the success of the training programme, let us not forget those who made the recruitment possible. The recruitment process was very significant in that it was the first time members of all eleven police agencies worked together. Not only did they select what I believe was a very highly qualified group of trainees, but in their collaboration, they provide a vision and a concrete example of what the new South African Police Service could be.
The Police Board's proposal for a Multinational Implementation Team came to life in the second half of last year, when the Swedish, British, Zimbabwean and Dutch Governments, and the Commonwealth, agreed to send us a police trainer from each of their countries. The multinational Implementation Team has played an invaluable role in assisting with the delivery of the new basic training programme, and I would like to thank each member of the Team for their efforts - Rudo Muchemenyi, Terry Walter, Albert Buitenhuis, Jan Dikkers, Peter Lundstrom and Ann Lindberg. You have assisted with the birth of a special child for South Africa, and will always be remembered with gratitude.
The Multinational implementation Team was called on to perform a wide range of functions, which exceed the original envisaged mandate. They assisted with putting together the team of trainers from the eleven police agencies, they were called to help resolve problems in two colleges, they assisted with preparation of new training materials and trained trainers.
The creation of a team of trainers comprising members of all eleven agencies was another important feature of the pilot programme, and I would like to thank all the trainers for their enthusiasm and commitment. I believe that the experience of creating this new group of trainers laid a solid foundation for the advertising of posts and recruitment of trainers in future.
When the opening ceremonies for this basic training programme took place earlier this year, even Commissioner Fivaz has not yet been appointed in his new post. In the training division, new appointments were made only after the programme was well under way, and the lack of one clear management structure caused many problems in the early days. In this respect, I must pay a special tribute to Rudo Muchemenyi and Brigadier Jan Fourie, who held the Field Training Programme together at a time when there was a vacuum of management structures. The new Basic Training Managers, Mike Lombard and Indira Chetty, did an excellent job of taking the reins of the remainder of the pilot programme, and I would like to thank them for this.
There were many problems in the early phases of the pilot programme, and my office was often called on to assist with decision-making and dispute resolution. I am happy to say that the Field Training component of the programme went off very smoothly, considering that it is a totally new concept in the South African Police Service. This is no doubt due to the commitment of the Basic Training Management, but also to the hard work done by the Field Training Managers and Supervisors and the International Advisors from the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in the provinces. We are extremely grateful to all these people, as well as the Provincial Commissioners and MEC's, for making the field training both a reality and a success.
The feedback which my office has received about the field training suggests that already the new recruits are having a positive impact on community relations and police efficiency. One of the best testaments to the pilot programme is the fact that police officials at most of the training stations are clamouring to receive the new basic training themselves.
Although we are here tonight to celebrate the success of the pilot programme, it is important to bear in mind that the work in this area is far from over. This was only a pilot project, designed to show us what was possible and what still needs to be done, it was carried out in a context of organisational chaos, and with limited resources. It was not possible to develop entirely new curricula. It was possible to recruit and train an entirely new staff. These are some of the challenges which still face us in the development of a new basic training programme.
Despite its limitations, the basic training pilot programme has provided a solid foundation from which to move in the development of a new education and training system for the poice. I encourage police officials at all levels of the organisation to prioritise training, as the development of our human resources is crucial to the delivery of a more effective service to the public.
I thank everyone who was involved in this project, and wish the trainees and trainers all the best for the future.