Central SA
Northern Cape to have permanent police academy─── ZENANDE MPAME 13:24 Mon, 22 May 2023
The SAPS portfolio committee has asked the National Assembly to convert the South African National Defence Force's (SANDF) 3 South African Infantry (SAI) military facility into a permanent police training academy in Kimberley.
The committee's head, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, said the base was utilised as a training centre to assist the president’s request to recruit 10,000 more police officers in order to reduce the unnecessarily high police-to-population ratio and step up the battle against crime.
The committee paid a visit to the facility to evaluate the trainees' living arrangements for the SAPS Basic Police Development Learning Programme.
“The SAPS training academies could only accommodate 7,000 trainees, and 3,000 of them still needed to be accommodated,” said Joemat-Pettersson.
She stated that in Kimberley, the SAPS had allocated almost R117 million for basic training, including stipends, housing, food provision, and other supplementary expenses for the period from April 1 to December 31 this year, and was presently home to 1 489 trainees.
The SANDF and SAPS' cooperation in coming to an arrangement to house the trainees at the 3 SAI camps has been praised by the committee.
Joemat-Pettersson reported an improvement in the living conditions at the base.
“The facility was upgraded to include a lecture hall, improve the ablution facilities and ensure that the kitchen is fully functional. There is a shooting range and adequate classrooms to cater to programme delivery.”
The facility employed 700 Northern Cape residents and local suppliers such as caterers were used.
