Police Minister, Bheki Cele, is hopeful that more women would join South African Police Service.
Speaking at a passing out parade in Mthatha on Tuesday, Cele said of the 249 officers at the ceremony, only 94 were women.
"I must add that we would be very pleased in the future if we could see a 50/50 split of the both the genders because the South African Police Service (SAPS) is an equal opportunity employer and we take our employment equity very seriously," Cele said.
Cele added that the 94 women on parade were not made any favours because they underwent the same rigorous training as their male counterparts.
"I am happy to announce that their assessment was the same as that of their male counterparts. In keeping up with the progressives laws of our country, we aim to attract in the SAPS employ, people of all demographics, including women who must eventually make up 50% of the SAPS staff complement," the minister said.
Addressing the newly-trained constables, SAPS Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, urged them to be mindful of the SAPS Code of Conduct.
"Be mindful of how you carry yourself in this beautiful uniform, have a high sense of self-discipline, and be ethical and professional in your conduct at all times," he said.
These officers will be deployed at police stations across the Eastern Cape and were the last batch to be trained under Project 10k for the 2023/24 financial year.
Many of the new Constables graduated in December 2023 and are already deployed to bolster crime combating efforts at police stations across the country and the Public Order Police (POPs) unit.
The SAPS recruitment drive for the 2024/2025 Basic Police Learning Development Programme is currently underway. The first batch of trainees are expected to commence with training in April 2024 and the second batch will commence theirs in January 2025.
IOL