Extraordinary officers of the SAPS: K9 handlers and forensic experts making a difference
Forensic face recognition experts and search and rescue K9 handlers are scarce skills within the South African Police Services.
K9 officers sometimes have to travel almost 300 kilometres to get to the scene where people need to be rescued.
On the other hand, the country has only eight facial comparison experts - who play a crucial role in compiling facial composite of the suspects - which are then distributed through the media to identify suspects.
Warrant Officer Clinton Odayar, a member of the Umhlali K9 Unit in the Ilembe District, a qualified search-and-rescue K9 handler with 24 years of service in the SAPS, 16 of which as a K9 handler, hopes to see more officers trained to become search and rescue K9 handlers.
“There is a high demand for K9 handlers. Sometimes I travel 300 kilometres just to get to the scene. If there are more boots on the ground, people will get help quicker and more lives will be saved,” he said.
Among the requirements for being a K9 handler are to have swimming skills, not be afraid of heights and confined spaces, be physically fit, and must not have any kind of fear in life.
Odayar, who recently walked away with the Operations Member of the Year level 5 - 7 Award during the recent SAPS National Excellence Awards, handles emergencies ranging from natural disasters to crime incidents across KwaZulu-Natal.
On winning the award, he said: “I feel ecstatic about winning the award, it’s quite a big achievement in my career.”
For Odayar, achieving great results comes with a lot of sacrifices, from personal time, to sometimes family time, and requires discipline and high dedication to work.
He routinely faces dangers such as mountain abseiling and hazardous material exposure. His efforts in collaboration with KwaDukuza Municipality and private surfing organisations, have reduced drownings by 20%, greatly benefiting the community. He is part of the team that runs programmes in schools teaching about the dangers of swimming alone, among other topics.
He is consistent and puts in longer hours, as he gets called to save lives in dangerous situations.
Odayar mentioned that often he encounters situations that are a matter of life and death.
He recalled a rescue 10 years ago, in Nongoma where a nurse was missing - he and his K9 Dante were stung multiple times, and there were no medical rescue teams on site. However, they were lucky that the South African National Defence came and airlifted them.
Odayar said he feels that he has been called to assist the people. And he is adequately trained to assist.
He often has to take charge of the crime scene, ensuring everyone’s safety including the safety/lives of other rescue officers.
When not on duty, he plays soccer, goes fishing, and spends time training at the gym.
His biggest support is his wife and kids who support him in his work. “They don’t view it as a risk but as me helping people at their greatest hour of need,” he said.
He debriefs the pastor at his church and mostly with his wife who is a nurse - as some form of counselling.
He said the risk is based on the officer’s ability, and requires one to be constantly trained.
Warrant Officer Vanishree ‘Lorna’ Abdul Rahim, a forensic analyst from Durban Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC), is one of South Africa’s few facial comparison experts.
She played a pivotal role in identifying the key instigator of the July 2021 unrest and connecting CCTV evidence to a group of robbers in KwaZulu-Natal. This is the only convicted July 2021 unrest instigator, Mdumiseni Khetha Zuma, who was sentenced to 12 years in jail, in November 2024.
Police investigations showed that he recorded a video of himself calling on people to loot and burn the Brookside Mall in Pietermaritzburg. The video was shared on his WhatsApp status.
“I compile facial composite of the suspects which are then circulated through the media. There are only eight forensic facial comparison experts in the country. We are professionally trained according to international standards,” she said.
Abdul Rahim is dedicated, she excels under pressure, overcoming challenges like masked suspects with precision. Through her expertise, she has put rapists and armed robbers behind bars, amongst others.
She walked away with the Forensic Services Employee of the Year Level 5-7 during the recent SAPS National Excellence Awards.
About winning the award, she said: “It’s unbelievable. It’s overwhelming, gives motivation to keep doing well and reach for the stars. It is an amazing feeling to win a prestigious award.”
Abdul Rahim said she did the best she could for every case.
According to her, the most challenging part about her job is that most people have CCTV cameras, but the quality is poor, especially in businesses.
“The images come out too poor to be used. Top view cameras are also a problem because they are not capturing the suspects’ faces.”
She is also a fingerprint expert, endorsed by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology — she is a working group member — assisting with migrant disaster victims’ recognition.
She said most of the migrant victims die while escaping war. “We use photos of them from social media and photos of the missing migrants to bring closure to the families.”
She said this is part of her humanitarian contribution.
“There is a shortage of facial comparison experts in Africa. I have at some point been contacted by neighbouring countries to assist as well.”
She is currently studying a PhD in criminal justice and her thesis is based on forensic facial recognition.
gcwalisile.khanyile@inl.co.za