South African Police Service Fitness Test, Because police officers must be able to run for a reasonable distance, as part of your assessment, you will be tested to ensure your fitness levels are high enough.
It’s a thorough test, but don’t worry, it’s not about being super fit. We only want to make sure you would be physically able to carry out your duties. Expect to be tested on two key fitness requirements:
- dynamic strength – involves performing five seated chest pushes and five seated back pulls on the Dyno machine to measure your strength.
- endurance – you will be asked to run to and fro along a 15 metre track in time with a series of bleeps, which become increasingly faster.
If you don’t meet the standard first time around, you can take the test again up to a maximum of three times.
Health checks
You need to be in good health to be accepted as a police officer.
Because police officers need to be physically healthy in order to carry out their duties, you will need to be examined to ensure you have no serious health problems.
After you have passed your assessment, you will be given appointment times for an eyesight test, and a medical examination.
If you have any specific concerns about the tests, please contact the force you are applying to for more details.
The South African Police Service is pleased to welcome more than three-thousand police trainees into its ranks. The trainees will be undergoing a 21-month Basic Police Development Learning Programme.
The South African Police Service has undertaken to follow a stringent recruitment process to ensure that the best candidates are selected to serve as police men and women.
A total of 3781 police trainees were selected from over 200 000 applicants. Of the 3781 trainees, 1363 are female and 2418 are male. They will undergo training at five SAPS Academy’s nationwide being , SAPS Tshwane Academy in Gauteng, SAPS Bhisho Academy in Eastern Cape, SAPS Oudsthoorn Academy in Western Cape, SAPS Ulundi Academy in Kwa-Zulu Natal and SAPS Hammanskraal Academy in Gauteng.
The new recruits, commenced with orientation last week at the various academies where after they will be placed at a designated police station for one month. This serves as an induction phase to acquire practical on-the-job training and experience guided by an assigned mentor before they report at the SAPS training academies for the formal training programme. It also mentally and emotionally orientates the new recruit before the commencement of the basic training on the practical side of policing and aims to bridge the gap between the mind-set of a civilian and police official.
They will then proceed to a SAPS Academy for eight months where they are trained as police officials. This training is a combination of theory and practice which includes but is not limited to fire-arm training, legal principles and fitness assessments. Learning is enforced by continuous visits to police stations after practical sessions where the trainee is exposed to observation and practical sessions such as the registering of case dockets and the completion of official registers.
On successful completion of their training programme, they will be placed at different business units in the SAPS such as police stations and Public Order Police Units for a 12-month probation period, to gain further practical experience and in-service training.
About the recruitment selection process:
A candidate must comply with the following basic enlistment requirements but not limited to the following:
- Be a South African citizen by birth
- Between the ages of 18 and 30
- Be medically, mentally and physically fit to perform duties
- Be in possession of at least a senior certificate (Grade 12)
- Not have a criminal record or any criminal or departmental cases pending against him or her (all cases must be declared)
The candidate must also undergo the following:
- Psychometric assessment
It is a pre-requisite for candidates to avail themselves for psychometric tests which aim to measure attributes such as intelligence, aptitude and personality to select the most suitable candidates.
- Physical assessment
Candidates are required to undertake a physical test to determine their ability to perform the physical demands inherent to operational policing. - Medical examination
The candidates will undergo medical examination to certify his or her fitness to undertake strenuous exercise.
The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, General John Khehla Sitole has wished the new recruits well on their new journey.
“Congratulations to our new recruits for getting through the recruitment process. Our youth have a vital role to play to ensure that they contribute to a safe and secure South Africa for all”, said General Sitole.
“We look forward to their vibrancy as well as the injection of new blood into the SAPS”, added General Sitole. All trainees are expected to pass all modules in the Basic Police Development Learning Programme to be declared fit to join the Service as a constable. Those that are found to be competent will graduate in a passing-out parade that will be held in December 2018 at the various SAPS Academies.