Pretoria – National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), General Riah Phiyega, has encouraged graduates to make a difference in society.
“You have become empowered; you are now in a position to contribute to the SAPS and make positive impacts on the position of the SAPS as well as to ensure that you positively serve the society,” National Police Commissioner Phiyega said.
She was speaking on Wednesday at the graduation ceremony of more than 50 senior police officers at the University of Pretoria.
The police officers successfully passed the Public Management Development Programme which is aimed at enabling station and cluster heads to manage their stations effectively.
“This Public Management Development Programme …. which is aimed at empowering our commanders will go a long way in building our managerial capacity in enabling us to realise our vision 2030,” Phiyega said.
The course includes modules which scrutinised government structures, processes, the functions that public servants should adhere to and managerial strengths in the public service.
“The course ensures that we perform professionally to make developmental imperatives of an ever-changing society and to meet developmental imperatives of an organisation that is faced with huge demands in society,” she said.
Phiyega said the police service was doing everything in its power to ensure it ignites the intellectual capacity of the police.
“We are creating a platform to unlock it [intellectual capacity] and unleash it to serve and protect the citizens,” she said.
As part of elevating the work done by the SAPS, the basic training period for police officers has been extended to two years.
She said for the first time the SAPS has enrolled six Lieutenant Generals to the Wits Executive Development Programme.
Delegates’ representative Brigadier R Behari Ram said the programme broadened the knowledge of the police.
“The majority of the topics covered were not new to us. The programme allowed us to refresh current knowledge. It further provided us with alternative ways of approaching, analysing and solving policing challenges and of particular importance it enabled a detailed and intensively practical approach to converting strategy into action,” Brigadier Ram said. – SAnews.gov.za
