![[South African Police Service flag]](../images/z/za-saps.gif)
Last modified: 2015-07-25 by bruce berry
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by Martin Grieve, 09 Oct 2002
![[South African Police Service badge]](../images/z/za)saps.jpg)
image by Jarig Bakker, 14 May 2002
The South African Police Service (SAPS) recently adopted a new flag
to reflect the changes which the old South Africa Police (SAP) has undergone
and to promote the new identity of the SAPS.
The flag follows the basic design of its predecessor, and indeed those
of the SA Armed Forces and the Correctional Services department.
The flag has the South African national flag in the canton fimbriated
in white at the fly. The field of the flag is dark blue with the new badge
of the SAPS in the lower fly. Dividing the flag into two halves is a gold
horizontal stripe (one-seventh the width of the flag). The new flag was
officially adopted in October 1997 and replaces the flag of the former
SAP, which followed the same basic design but with the old flag and old
police badge, which was adopted in 1983.
Only the national flag has been flown at police stations between April
1994 and October 1997.
Bruce Berry, 12 Aug 1998
The new South African Police Service (SAPS) flag was registered with the
South African Bureau of Heraldry on 17 Oct 1997 with the following description:
A rectangular blue flag, proportions two by three, with
a single yellow horizontal stripe one-seventh the width of the flag, across
the centre, in the canton the national flag of the Republic of South
Africa as registered under Government Notice No. 645 of 5 May 1995, and
in the lower fly the badge of the South African Police Service as
registered under Government Notice No. 1548 of 6 October 1995.
Source: Data
of the Bureau of Heraldry on registered heraldic representations.
Mark Sensen, 19 May 2002
The flag of the SA Police Service is very similar to the flag of its
predecessor, the South African Police (also called South African Police
Force). The SAP flag was the same blue, has the same yellow bar, and has
the 1928 national flag in the same position as the 1994 version in the
current flag. The police badge is in the same position, and the sunburst
is identical.
The difference, aside from the 1928 national flag, is that in place of the
Aloe
in the centre of the badge, there is a representation of the 1930 version
of the Union of South Africa coat of arms. You will find this at my
website. The switch from the arms to the aloe was a very good one,
from both a political and an aesthetic point of view. The use of the complete
achievement made the badge very hard to recognise, and is on a par with
similar heraldic misuses still traditional in South African traffic police
forces (provincial and municipal).
Mike Oettle, 14 Oct 2002
Although this flag was registered in 1997, it was not officially taken into use
until 1998. It was introduced at a parade at the police college in Pretoria on
20 November 1998 (Reference : M. du Preez, 'Three in One' in Servamus
(January/February 1999).
Arthur Radburn, 04 June 2015
image by Martin Grieve, 16 Aug 2005
The former South African Police (SAP) flag was registered with the South
African Bureau of Heraldry on 14 October 1983 with the following description:
"A rectangular blue flag, proportions three
by two, with a single yellow horizontal stripe one-seventh the width of
the flag, across the centre, in the canton the National Flag and
in the lower fly the badge of the South African Police".
Source: Data
of the Bureau of Heraldry on registered heraldic representations.
Mark Sensen, 19 May 2002
This flag was presented by the then State President, Marais Viljoen, in a
ceremony at the police college in Pretoria on 26
June 1981. According to the SAP's Annual Report, the flag was designed by
Lt. Col. J. Venter, in collaboration with the State Herald. The flag was duly
registered at the Bureau of Heraldry on 24 July 1981, but the certificate was
not issued until 14 October 1983.
References :
Q. Papenfus: ' 'n Eie vlag vir SAP' in Servamus (August 1981) and 'South
African Police Flag' in NAVA News Vol. 14 No. 4 (Fall 1981).
Arthur Radburn, 04 June 2015
sap1.gif)
image by Martin Grieve, 16 Aug 2005
image sent by Bruce Berry, 17 July 2015
The South African Police also had a National Colour, i.e. the then National Flag (1928-1994) in Colour format. It was presented by the then State President, F.W. de Klerk, at the Police College in Pretoria on 28 November 1989. The Colour was laid up at the College on 15 April 1994, just prior to the adoption of the current South African national flag.
The introduction of the National Colour by the South African Defence Force was
approved on 08 March 1988. The South African National Colour was the
National Flag with the following characteristics:
- it was manufactured from silk;
- it was fimbrated with a gold frill; and
- it had two gold cords with tassels hanging from the bottom of the cords.
A total of 128 Colours were awarded between April 1988 until December 1993, of
which the South African Police was one.
Reference :
http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/1989/11/29/2/3.html ;
http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/1994/04/16/5/17.html.
Arthur Radburn, 04 June 2015
image by Martin Grieve, 17 Aug 2005
The SA Railway Police was a division of the South African Railways and Harbours
Administration. It was originally purely a transport policing
section, but ended up with wide powers because of its jurisdiction in SAR&H
hostels in the black townships. They used to spend a lot of time raiding
these hostels for dagga (cannabis/marijuana - or, as they seem to call
it in Amsterdam, tee). The SARP was also responsible for airport and harbour
security, and had its own launches. Sadly, the only flag I recall seeing
on their launches was the national flag. The SARP was merged with the SAP
in the mid-1980s and accordingly, the flag is no longer used.
Mike Oettle, 14 Oct 2002
sarp.gif)
image by Martin Grieve, 17 Aug 2005
Although the official description of the South African Railways Police (SARP)
flag does not mention a fimbriation around the national flag or badge, I have a
table flag in my possession which does have these fimbriations as shown in the
illustration below. However, the full size flag which I have manufactured
by Flagcraft in Johannesburg does not have any fimbriations!
Bruce Berry, 19 Aug 2005
image by Martin Grieve, 17 Aug 2005
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