The ranks of the South African Police Service (Saps) have swelled with 9 252 new police constables ahead of the festive season, following their completed training in the basic police development programme.

President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the new recruits, who are part of the Saps’ ‘Project Ten Thousand’ initiative, at the South African Police Service Academy in Tshwane, on Tuesday.

He officiated the passing out parade of the new graduates urging them to stand firm against corruption and to partner with communities to address crime.

“To the new constables gathered here today, this parade affirms that you are ready to join the Saps to help eradicate crime, to serve and protect the people of South Africa and make them safe and secure. Wear this blue uniform with pride and dignity, abiding by the Saps Code of Conduct and committed to the service of the people. Take a firm stance against corruption or unethical conduct, and against any actions that could erode the faith of the nation in our police service. Work with communities to address their problems. You are as strong as the communities you are deployed to serve,” he said.

The new recruits will be introduced into the Safer Festive Season Operations that are underway as South Africa’s festive season kicks off. They have successfully completed nine months of intensive training at police training academies across the country and at the South African National Defence Force facilities in the Northern Cape.

A further 495 constables completed a six month programme in September.

Following the 2021 July unrest, Ramaphosa said the Saps Public Order Policing Unit would be capacitated with 4 000 recruits joining this unit, while others will be deployed to other specialised units in the Saps.

“We applaud the Saps for its recruitment strategy, which saw qualified forensic scientists, criminologists and policing science experts joining the service,” the President said.

Other facilities that will see the addition of new recruits include the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit; and crime hotspot police stations.

Ramaphosa pointed out that crime affected the whole of society and urged the new recruits to show commitment beyond the call of duty.

“Safety and security is necessary for economic growth and social development, for better education and health outcomes, and for social cohesion. When crime is high, small businesses cannot thrive because they have to spend more resources on security, and it is difficult to persuade companies to invest here. Crime affects the safety, well-being and cohesion of our communities. It affects the delivery of services and the functioning of public institutions. If we do not tackle crime, we will not be able to build the better society that we seek,” he said.