The South African Insurance Association (SAIA) announced on Wednesday that the short-term insurance industry will provide R500 000 to sponsor the training of 500 police officers in Gauteng.

The in-service training is particularly directed at detectives and will offer courses in investigative interview techniques, crime scene management and stress management.

The initiative follows the Gauteng Provincial Police Services (GPPS) appeal for further training of detectives.

The GPPS worked with Business Against Crime (BAC) and PACE Consultants the GPPS to design a suitable course.

The course is expected to help detectives link suspects to other crimes that they may have been involved in, change the methodology of taking a statement, help police to better manage a crime scene and dramatically improve customer service, says Lorinda Nel from BAC.

SAIA’s sponsorship will see 500 detectives throughout Gauteng participate in the course. Speaking at a press conference Refilwe Moletsane SAIA Deputy Chief Executive said, “When we were approached with the opportunity to sponsor this training intervention, we believed at the outset that this was a very worthy project” 

“Not only will the training assist the detectives in Gauteng in enhancing the performance of their duties, thus making a difference with regards to their response to the crime situation, but better detection methods could also ultimately lead to improved prosecution in order to add deterrence to the fight against crime,” she added.

The Provincial Commissioner of Gauteng Perumal Naidoo, said that ongoing training and development is crucial to effective service delivery.  He expressed his appreciation for the kind gesture of the South African Insurance Association and added that partnerships such as theses help to strengthen the hands of the police.

BAC hopes to see the course being implemented in other parts of the country.