Tests among 53,000 police members reveal that 76% are fat and sick: Polmed:
March 20, 2015 - Pretoria, South Africa. Members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) will be subjected to an intensive training program since 76% officials nationally are overweight and obese.
They also suffer from ailments such as hypertension, cholesterol and diabetes so many members often stay away from work for 15 to 30 days. The abuse of habit-forming drugs is a serious problem identified among policemen.
This finding was published after more than 53,000 members were tested for various health problems by their medical scheme Polmed.
The deputy minister of police, Maggie Sotyu, believes it is time to take action because it is not normal to have 76% obesity in the police service.
According to her, the leadership of the police needs to do something because” we can’t expect the SAPS members to combat crime if they do not take care of after their own well-being.
Source – Die Vryburger
http://www.dievryburger.co.za/2015/03/polisie-is-vet-en-siek/
http://southafricatoday.net/south-africa-news/members-of-saps-are-fat-and-sick/
Besides being 'fat and sick' other failures of the South African police also are increasingly noted by foreign diplomats.
For instance, the US State Department 's advice to diplomats noted that the South African Police Service often fail to intervene during the socalled “service delivery protests” -- which frequently spiral into looting of small, foreign-owned shops. Migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers who are perceived to be competing for jobs with South Africans are the primary targets of these attacks. Human rights groups note a strong ethnic and religious undertone to the attacks. Somalis, conspicuously Muslim in a majority Christian country, are frequently targeted. These attacks were increasingly violent and mainly occurred in South Africa’s largest townships. The government attributes the attacks to high unemployment; the official rate is 24 percent, but experts believe it is closer to 40 percent. Local law enforcement has shown hesitance in preventing looting and have been captured on video standing idly as shops are looted. As a result, foreigners working and living in urban areas feel helpless and are prone to resolve matters on their own, leading to further conflict and violence. "For example, in May 2013, a mob beat a Somali shop owner to death in Port Elizabeth. The act was caught on camera and posted to YouTube, showing the helpless man in the street as he was pelted with rocks. Eleven arrests were made, but not one was prosecuted successfully.
"For residential and commercial properties in affluent neighborhoods, the use of private security companies has become the norm for first response to a crime in progress. These private companies generally have one to two armed officers in response vehicles and are seen patrolling the neighborhoods throughout the day.
https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=15318
↧