SAPS CALLS ON ALL POPULATION GROUPS TO CONSIDER A CAREER IN POLICING
SAPS CALLS ON ALL POPULATION GROUPS TO CONSIDER A CAREER IN POLICING
Pretoria, 09 September 2026; The South African Police Service (SAPS) has noted concerns raised on various social media platforms suggesting that the current cohort of new police recruits consists exclusively of African applicants.
SAPS wishes to clarify that the composition of the cohort is a reflection of the overall applicant pool and the outcome of the prescribed recruitment and selection processes, and not a decision to exclude applicants from any particular population group.
For the current recruitment process, SAPS received 1,049,998 applications. Of these, 1,079 were from the White race group, 3,047 from the Indian race group, 53,797 from the Coloured race group, while the overwhelming majority were from the African race group.
As part of the recruitment process, priority was given to applicants who possess valid driver's licences, in recognition of the operational requirements of policing and the need for members to be able to perform a range of policing duties effectively.
Of the applicants with driver's licences who were prioritised, 556 were White, 1,722 Indian, 11,743 Coloured and 291,591 African applicants.
All shortlisted candidates were subjected to psychometric and physical fitness assessments, followed by further suitability screening, including interviews, medical assessments, drug testing, fingerprint verification, criminal record checks, reference checks and other prescribed assessments.
Following these processes, the Provincial Recruitment Boards assessed the candidates and made recommendations for the final recruitment lists. These Boards include community representatives, including members of Community Policing Forums, and are chaired by the Provincial Commissioners or their representatives.
SAPS acknowledges that the current figures indicate that African applicants are significantly more represented in the applicant pool. This naturally has an impact on the composition of the final cohort.
At the same time, SAPS continues to encourage greater participation from White, Indian and Coloured communities. The Service has previously embarked on targeted recruitment and outreach initiatives aimed at encouraging applicants from these communities to consider policing as a career.
SAPS encourages young people from all race groups to look out for future recruitment advertisements and to take advantage of the opportunity to join the Police Service. The Service will also be embarking on targeted outreach initiatives, including recruitment roadshows and other community-based engagements, aimed at reaching communities that are currently underrepresented in the applicant pool.
These initiatives are intended to ensure that recruitment opportunities are brought directly to communities, while providing potential applicants with information about the requirements and processes for joining SAPS.
The objective is not simply to recruit more people, but to attract suitable, competent and diverse candidates from across South Africa who are willing to serve and protect their communities.
This recruitment initiative is also part of SAPS's broader contribution to addressing unemployment by creating opportunities for young South Africans, while simultaneously strengthening policing capacity and ensuring that the Service has the human resources required to keep communities safe.
SAPS remains committed to a fair, transparent and inclusive recruitment process, while maintaining the required standards of competence, fitness, integrity and suitability for appointment.
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