WELL DONE NATIONAL COMMISSIONER, BUT...?

Sir,

Please allow me space in your highly esteemed publication to first commend the national commissioner for his visionary leadership. The national commissioner has transformed the Royal Swaziland Police Training College - Matsapha to an academy. The Oxford Dictionary defines academy as a ‘school or college for special training.

One is opined to believe that Swaziland will soon have a new calibre of police officers ready to enforce the laws of Swaziland, respect their customers (public), and above all demonstrate high professionalism.

However, there are several concerns that I wish to raise and perhaps challenge the NATCOM to even address and resolve. First, who draws the curriculum that is used in teaching at the college? Second, are senior police officers, by virtue of being senior, competent enough to craft the curriculum? Third, among the topics/units covered, are the officers at training taught cross cutting human psychology, sociology and communication skills, to name a few? 

With my encounter with officers, especially on the road, at police stations and in public activities, some of our respected officers seem to lack all the skills needed to perform their duties. As traffic officers, they stop motorists in the middle of the road in fast flowing and heavy traffic instead of directing motorists to pull to the sides. Such tendencies have often resulted in accidents.

When officers approach the driver, sometimes, they do not even utter a word except ‘go’ in a very rude manner. Sometimes, when they stop a motorist, they either introduce themselves or not introduce themselves but start asking rudely: “Let me see your driving licence.” If it were not for ethical reasons, one would mention names or force numbers. Anyway, this is not the issue. The main issue is the training of police officers because young or old it is the same trend.

Finally, before you retire NATCOM, please Mtfombeni revisit the training curriculum at the academy. Use curriculum experts to improve the curriculum at the academy. Those officers who further their training at UNISWA and other tertiary institutions are much better than the ones who have trained at the then Matsapha Training College. As an academy, we expect a paradigm shift in the manner officers will execute their duties. If it calls for weeding out some, so be it; Swaziland cannot afford to engage ill-trained and incompetent police officers.

Concerned taxpayer,
Maphalaleni

NOTE: In an effort to afford the national commissioner of police the right to reply this letter was emailed to the police service’s information and communications office on Sunday, December 10, 2017 but unfortunately there has been no response.

Ed

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