(Archive photo: SA Police)
According to AfriForum, the police’s failure to answer questions about the state of its reservist program and its plans for the training of new reservists is flashing danger lights. The organization says the lack of transparency also raises questions about the police’s commitment to use all available resources to combat the country’s crime crisis.
More than a year ago, AfriForum already requested information about the police’s reservist program in terms of the Act on the Promotion of Access to Information (Paia). It includes details on the number of reservists recruited since 2010, how many are currently active and how often new reservists are trained.
The police have still not adequately answered these questions.
Jacques Broodryk, AfriForum’s chief spokesperson for community safety, says that it is unacceptable that the police are unwilling to “be transparent about a program that is precisely designed to strengthen an overburdened police service”.
“South Africans should ask themselves why the police do not want to provide the information about this program. If the reservist program is a priority, the police should have no problem sharing its plans, its successes and its challenges with the public.
“The silence creates the impression that the program is simply not taken seriously.”
Broodryk says there are many South Africans who are willing to give their time, energy and expertise to help protect their communities.
“There are law-abiding citizens who are willing to raise their hand to assist the police without any compensation, but the police simply do not seize the opportunity. In a country that is suffering from a serious crime crisis, the mobilization of civilian support should be one of the highest priorities,” says Broodryk.
“The reservist program is not a luxury, but a necessary force multiplier. The police simply cannot solve the country’s crime problems alone. Communities want to help, but the police’s top management seems intent on ignoring this resource.”
AfriForum says that according to the police’s annual reports, there were more than 52,000 reservists on the books in the 2011-12 financial year. In the 2024-25 financial year, the number of active police reservists has dropped to less than 3,300.
The organization says that while the police’s reservist program is collapsing, its AfriForum neighborhood and farm guards have grown from one to 177 in the same time, with thousands of volunteers actively involved.
“This is proof that citizens are willing to take responsibility for their own safety. The problem is therefore not a lack of interest from communities, but rather a lack of political will and leadership,” says Broodryk.
The continued weakening of the reservist program has serious consequences for public safety, the organization warns. AfriForum therefore calls on the acting minister of police and the police’s top management to be transparent about the future of the reservist program and to take concrete steps to expand it.
“Communities want to help. However, the question is whether the police are really prepared to accept that help. AfriForum will continue to call the police to account until answers are provided and concrete action follows,” says Broodryk.