Party says we must not neglect the health and well-being of the men and women on the ground who put themselves in harm’s way
DA calls for better psycho-social support for SAPS officers
31 July 2024
The DA extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of the two SAPS officers who lost their lives this past Sunday in a tragic shooting incident in Limpopo. This event follows closely on two similar incidents in the North West in May 2024, when two more SAPS officers took their lives over a single weekend.
According to recent reports from the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru), at least 300 SAPS officers have committed suicide since 2017, raising serious questions about SAPS’ current capacity in providing ongoing safe, confidential, and specialised mental health support to its members. It also raises questions about the adequacy of SAPS’ pre-employment mental and psychological screening procedures and whether they are fit for purpose.
The SAPS’ 2022/2023 Annual Report records a total of 138 psychological professionals, 57 “Quality of Work Life” professionals, 205 social workers, and 190 chaplains operating in SAPS employee wellness programmes. These individuals are responsible for the mental wellness of approximately 180,000 SAPS employees, all operating in extremely high-stress and high-risk environments.
With a 28,7% vacancy rate for psychologists and vocational counsellors within the SAPS, capacitating this division presents a significant challenge for top management that must be tackled with the utmost urgency.
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