The chairperson of parliament’s police portfolio committee, Ian Cameron, wants the mental health of police officers to be prioritised in order to enhance effective policing.
This comes after Anti-Gang Unit member Sergeant Raoul Murray took his own life last week.
Cameron said the tragic suicide highlighted the need for enhanced employee health and wellness initiatives within the SAPS, to assist officers to cope more effectively with the challenges in their operational environmental.
“It is tragic that a dedicated officer, at only 38 years of age, can take his own life, robbing his family of a loved one and the country of a respected law enforcement official.
“The South African Police Service must do more to enhance the broad psycho-social assistance to its members to reduce suicide in the SAPS,” he said.
Cameron said Murray’s death came after the portfolio committee had expressed concerns about the lack of adequate employee health and wellness interventions for police officers.
The committee had heard from the SAPS senior management that there were only 621 health and wellness employees, servicing about 187 278 personnel within SAPS.
“In the context of the high crime rate, especially violent crimes, SAPS members are faced with gruesome scenes that are bound to have a negative impact on their mental health.
“Resilience building and general support care should be a central pillar of the work of SAPS to ensure the mental wellbeing of officers expected to fight crime effectively,” Cameron said.
The committee was also informed that 33 suicides occurred within the SAPS in the 2019-20 financial year, 30 in the 2020/21 financial year, and 39 in the 2021/22 financial year. A total of 38 homicide–suicide incidents occurred between 2019 and 2022.
“In a country encountering high crime statistics, it is a moral requirement that foot soldiers are broadly capacitated to effectively deal with crime. Without the adequate psycho-social support, members will be exposed to unmitigated mental stress that could lead to suicide. This must be urgently addressed,” Cameron said.
“The committee has committed to championing the plight of SAPS members to ensure that proactive employee health and wellness interventions are implemented.”
Cape Times