Deal with the real policing issues

Sunday Times Editorial : Police commissioner Bheki Cele and his political boss Nathi Mthethwa took an unprecedented step this week when they ordered 50 000 police officers out of their normal duties to attend a bizarre rally in Bloemfontein in celebration of National Police Day.

Both government and the ANC this week sought to present the day as a new initiative, ostensibly conceived and launched by Cele and Mthethwa in their respective capacities as commissioner and minister.

National Police Day is in fact nothing new. It was in fact first celebrated on January 27, 2005 as the SAPS marked its

10th anniversary since its transformation from its past apartheid incarnation.

It is a known fact that National Police Day was declared to “signify the date and anniversary of the establishment of the SAPS, to give recognition to the service rendered” and “to honour those who have paid with their lives to protect and serve all people in South Africa”.

We do not think any South Africans — except criminals — would ever oppose the recognition of the National Police Day because of the very critical nature of the police service in relation to the safety and security of the country’s citizens.

Neither would any law abiding South Africans refuse to pay tribute and acknowledge the courage and valour of many police officers who — every year — die at the hands of armed thugs in the line of duty.

What is however disturbing about the Bloemfontein festivities is Mthethwa’s sheer arrogance to those who

have questioned the wisdom of throwing such an extravagant bash and during harsh economic conditions only in the name of boosting morale.

There is no apparent benefit to the police members that is going to come out of this event. The only beneficiaries could be none other than the so-called “tenderpreneurs” who are likely to have raked in thousands — if not millions — of rands in tenders associated with the event.

Mthethwa elected to shoot down constructive criticism when he, this week, told the media that “if we invest in ensuring that we boost these people (the police), so that they are ready to go out and fight crime, (that) we are wasting money, they will talk until they are blue in their faces”.

What twaddle.

We wonder what investment Mthethwa is talking about. If Mthethwa is not arrogant about the plight of the police officers, then the honourable minister is simply ignorant. The SAPS is one of the most depressed professions in this country where members of the police service commit suicide at an alarming rate. With South Africa being one of the most violent countries in the world, police work has become one of the most dangerous.

The police work under terrible conditions without enough and proper resources. They are often expected to work long hours with little remuneration. Instead of splurging millions on mass rallies, Mthethwa must first invest in police salaries and better working conditions.