SAPS Announces 2024/2025 Police Trainee Recruitment Updates

SAPS urged all applicants who completed the recruitment and selection process to remain patient as they await further communication.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has provided an update regarding the recruitment and selection process for the 2024/2025 police trainees. According to a statement issued on Thursday, the first group of 3,359 trainees began their training at various SAPS academies last week Monday. A second group of successful candidates will soon receive written notifications to report for training. The remaining 2,186 trainees are expected to commence their training before the end of February 2025.

The SAPS stated that a staggered approach is being implemented due to the large number of recruits. This approach aims to manage the arrival of trainees across multiple academies nationwide. SAPS urged all applicants who completed the recruitment and selection process to remain patient as they await further communication.

SAPS Training and Deployment Successes

Over the past three years, the SAPS has trained and deployed more than 20,000 new constables across various units in the country to enhance public safety and strengthen policing efforts. National Commissioner General Sehlahle Fannie Masemola, during a media briefing in Pretoria on Sunday, highlighted the successful deployment of 2,699 newly trained constables in mid-December 2024. These officers played a pivotal role in crime-fighting operations during the busy festive season.

Results of 2024 Festive Season Operations

The SAPS Nationwide Safer Festive Season Operations, which ran from 11 October 2024 to 31 January 2025, yielded significant results. During this period, police arrested 244,951 individuals for various offenses, including:

• Murder
• Rape
• Assault
• Illegal possession of firearms
• Drug dealing
• Driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol
• Illegal entry into the country

The heightened police visibility contributed to crime prevention efforts, particularly in hotspot areas such as shopping malls, beaches, and key travel routes.

Commitment to Public Safety

General Masemola emphasized that the SAPS remains dedicated to ensuring public safety and tackling crime. The recruitment of new police trainees and their integration into the force forms part of the broader strategy to bolster policing operations across South Africa.