Thousands of JMPD cadets who were recruited in the full glare of publicity are getting in shape and will be ready for deployment on City streets by November.
In an unprecedented move, Herman Mashaba, the Executive Mayor of the City of Joburg sanctioned the recruitment of over 1 500 JMPD officers in November 2017.
The officers, who are currently in training in Soweto and near Booysens, will serve at the frontline of the war against crime, by-law and traffic infringements, in an effort to restore the rule of law in Johannesburg.
It is the first time in the history of both the City and its law enforcement agency, the JMPD, that more than 600 cadets are trained at once to be officers. In his State of the City Address on Tuesday, 30 April, Mayor Mashaba said he was committed to building capacity within the JMPD. He conceded that the City’s law enforcement agency only has a fraction of the officers needed to properly police Joburg streets.
With its newly promulgated shift system, the JMPD averages around 800 officers on duty on any given day. “When you consider this against the geographical area of Johannesburg, and the wide-ranging responsibilities of the JMPD, it is no wonder there has been a breakdown of the rule of law,” he said.
The JMPD cadets have just completed 12 months of physical activity training and traffic management qualifications, and are currently on a six months skills programme, conducted with the assistance of the South African Police Service.
The more than 1 500 cadets, who will pass out as Constables by October, were recruited through a rigorous process in November 2017. The programme was initially meant to take 18 months to complete, however, due to allegations of misconduct against the then head of the academy, the high number of recruits and the unprecedented nature of the programme, cadets only began training formally in the south of the Inner City in April last year.
“Our residents need to see and feel a police presence, and criminals need to learn that Johannesburg will no longer be a soft target,” said Mashaba.
The acting Head of the JMPD Academy, Mogomotsi Mashigo said the officers are trained to enforce the law in a professional way and to withstand the temptation to be corrupt.
“They understand that they represent the City of Joburg and their primary function is to serve the community and not their own interests,” said Mashigo.
He has set the target of completing the programme by October, after which the officers will be posted to police City streets and stamp out crime and grime.
With an increased number of officers policing Joburg streets, Mayor Mashaba envisages an upsurge in the annual number of by-law enforcement operations to more than 18 000 and traffic operations to over 10 000.
“Additional policing manpower means very little unless we can ensure that those found violating our laws are appropriately dealt with through the legal system. By-law enforcement must be aided by municipal courts to ensure that offenders are made to answer to the law,” Mashaba explained.
In addition, the City is working to improve the effectiveness of Municipal Courts, with the prosecution success rate currently at 25 percent, up from last year’s 4 percent.
The JMPD fines book has also been redesigned to align it to the magisterial district of Johannesburg. “I am confident that, with these efforts, we will begin to see our municipal courts being kept busy, on a full-time basis, successfully prosecuting those who disregard our by-laws,” Mashaba said.
