FF+ to motivate for rural safety police reservists

The Freedom Front Plus (FF+) is scheduled to hold a meeting with Minister of Police Nathi Nhleko to highlight its concerns about the scourge of farm attacks and farm murders.

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The FF+ will also use the opportunity to motivate for having police reservists dedicated to enhanced rural safety. News of the meeting followed Nhleko’s recent announcement in Parliament that the SAPS was on a drive to begin recruiting voluntary police reservists who would bolster existing permanent police numbers.

However, in his announcement, the police minister indicated that the recruitment drive would only be focussing on reservists for Category A: Functional Policing and Category C: Specialised Functional Policing. Recruitment for Category B: Support Services and Category D: Rural and Urban Safety would not be carried out.

The National Development Plan specifically stated that rural safety should be prioritised with specialised police officers, including police reservists, said Dr Pieter Groenewald, the FF+’s parliamentary spokesperson.

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“Not having police reservists specifically for rural safety will be a disadvantage. Using reservists from the generalised functional policing category to conduct rural policing will lose the special focus required on rural safety,” said Groenewald