SAPS Pays Tribute to NIU Veteran of 19 Years in Celebration of Women's Month

• To celebrate Women's Month, the South African Police Service (SAPS) is honouring policewomen who continue to push the envelope in a largely male-dominated field
• Warrant Officer Suzan Lehong, a 19-year veteran, is the latest to have her flowers handed to her
• Lehong has, for the past 17 years, served as a National Intervention Unit (NIU) Operator, tasked with stabilising volatile situations, among other duties

To observe Women's Month, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has embarked on honouring its women, who continue to break barriers in a traditionally male-dominated field.

Warrant Officer Suzan Lehong, a 19-year veteran, is the latest to have her flowers handed to her. Lehong serves as a National Intervention Unit (NIU) Operator, tasked to stabilise volatile situations by combating serious and violent crimes.

In addition to risking her life daily, the 45-year-old is also responsible for ensuring that citizens remain safe by policing high-risk public violence situations and provide operational support to other units within the service.

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Lehong joined SAPS in 2002 and has risen through the ranks to be a team leader in her Unit. The Warrant Officer prides herself on understanding the capability of each member in her team as it is the hallmark for any successful operation.

One of only 23 female NIU Operators

The officer serves as one of only 23 female NIU Operators in the organisation. In a message published on its official Facebook page, SAPS paid tribute to the female trailblazer, citing in part:

"As NIU Operator, Warrant Officer Lehong attends to medium and high-risk operations. These include Cash-In-Transit (CIT) heists, rhino poaching incidents, armed robberies as well as tracking and tracing dangerous suspects.

"The member has been part of the National Intervention Unit for the past 17 years and has worked on many high profile cases. These include that of organised crime boss, Radovan Krejcir, and the Boeremag treason trial."

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Lehong – who was among the few female operators deployed to the 2007 Cricket World Cup held in the West Indies ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa – said it takes bravery and a high level of discipline and determination to excel in the field.

With the knowledge and skills acquired in the Caribbean, Lehong and other members returned to South Africa to actively share the best practices.

SAPS celebrates female Forensic Analyst

In related news, Briefly News previously reported on SAPS fingerprint analyst, Warrant Officer Amanda Mangaliso, who has been celebrated for her contribution to the service.

Mangaliso has spent the last 9 years of her life in service to the organisation. Much of her work includes analysing and examining fingerprints left at a crime scene.

Opening up about her journey, Mangaliso shared that she is one of only 157 female Forensic Analysts in the Organisation.

Holding a BSc (Hons) Chemical Science degree, the officer stressed that an individual needs to be detail-oriented, among other things, to be successful in this field.

Source: Briefly News