THE South African Police Service (Saps) has welcomed 13 more Special Task Force (STF) officers to join the elite tactical unit.
They will wear their STF parachute wing on the left on the chest, which signifies that the police member has been trained at a high level of weapon proficiency, hostage release tactics and the ability to deploy operationally by parachute into all territories.
The group stood on parade at the Saps Academy in Tshwane on Thursday, 7 March, where they were received and acknowledged by the Deputy National Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili.
In her address, Mosikili said South Africa needs to be led by the police who are loyal, disciplined, upright in character, patriotic and willing to serve the country with pride and dignity.
She wished the members luck on the journey they will embark on and urged them to do their work with passion and commitment to the badge.
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The 13 members have undergone and successfully completed the 37th STF Selection Training Programme. The STF unit deals with high-risk operations that fall beyond the scope of general policing which requires specialised skills.
Overjoyed, some of the officers didn't miss a chance to express their readiness to hit the ground running.
“We can't wait to serve our communities and give our country our best. We want to be seen as super-humans and be able to tackle serious and violent crime in our country,” said the officers.
National police spokeswoman, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said more than 525 members applied to join the 37th STF Selection Training Programme, but only the 13 successfully completed their training.
“The 13 members are adding to the existing capacity of STF members who attend to high-risk and hostage situations, kidnappings, cash-in-transit robberies and illicit mining operations across the country,” said Mathe.
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