Johannesburg - Stringent selection and vetting procedures will be used to ensure that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation is staffed with highly skilled investigators who are of the highest moral fibre.
"Having met the selection criteria, candidates will be further subjected to security screening and integrity measures," said Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa, at the launch of the new unit, to be known as the Hawks, in Johannesburg on Monday.
He said the vetting process would also not be a once-off event and that following an initial top secret security clearance, there would be ongoing security testing.
In February, former President Kgalema Motlanthe signed the South African Police Service (SAPS) Amendment Act and Section 43 of the National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Act which allowed for the establishment of the unit and the transitional arrangements related to the Scorpions.
All current investigations, about 288 of them, have been handed over by the former Directorate of Special Operations (DSO), or Scorpions, to the new unit which will be headed by Anwa Dramat.
Officials of both the SAPS and the former Scorpions unit were involved in an audit of all the ongoing investigations, assets and resources of the DSO.
"We are confident that the transitional measures that have been put in place, as well as the formation of joint operational management teams will guarantee a smooth transfer process," said Minister Mthethwa.
Although the transfer of DSO investigators to the SAPS was a voluntary process, Minister Mthethwa affirmed that the vast majority of investigators had opted to join the new unit and be part of the SAPS.
"These are men and women who have honoured the duty to contribute to the goal of realizing the safety and security of every South African.
"They have taken in this immense responsibility driven by the desire to ensure that we as people succeed in out collective effort to bring to fruition the noble aspiration of better life for all," he said.
The minister emphasized that the establishment of the directorate ushered in a new chapter in the crime fighting ability of the South African law enforcement agencies. "Together we will not allow crime to undermine our democratic gains, our freedom and our future. Together we will defeat crime," he said.
The unit's new head Anwa Dramat said the hawk embodied the modus operandi that the directorate will employ.
"This best describes our approach to rooting out the scourge of organised crime and corruption and the negative effects their actions have on society. Allow me to send a strong and clear message to criminals - the Hawks will keep their eye on the ball and we are determined in our resolve to track you down," he said.
Meanwhile Deputy Minister Fikile Mbalula said the Hawks would be a sharp instrument in combating all priority crimes, including serious organized crime, commercial crime and serious corruption in broad terms.
