New JMPD shift system will see more cops on duty at night

The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department will have an equal number of officers on the streets day and night in a new shift system‚ announced by Chief of Police David Tembe on Wednesday.

Tembe said the JMPD and the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) signed an agreement which will see officers work four days in a row and taking four days off‚ from July 1.

Previously‚ the shift system had been a cause of concern for officers who found themselves working up to 16 days without rest. The new system will see officers doing 12-hour shifts from 6am to 6pm and another batch of officers starting at 6pm until 6am.

Tembe said the JMPD had 3.700 operational officers‚ including 1,500 trainees. He said the shift system will see 900 officers working the day shift and 900 working the night shift. At present‚ the JMPD has a skeleton night staff of about 100 officers.

The shift system will also mean Tembe has 1,900 officers on standby should he need them.

He said the increase in the number of officers working at night would ensure that JMPD was able to be more vigilant during the night where fatalities occur in the early hours of the morning.

Tembe said once the new shift system was in place‚ it would allow officers to have ample time to rest‚ which would improve morale‚ reduce absenteeism and ensure more dedicated employees.

“During my inauguration‚ I said I was going to give support to the officers. One of the main concerns in the JMPD was the shift system. I have got a mandate from the mayor to ensure there is a turnaround strategy‚” Tembe said.

Tembe was appointed chief of police in January this year and began his duties in March.

Samwu JMPD secretary Frans Ledwaba welcomed the implementation of the new shift system and said the current system had been on the list of grievances since 2006.