Pretoria: The South African Police Service (SAPS) has announced that it has received more than a million applications for its Basic Police Development Learning Programme (BPDLP) for the 2025/2026 session. The application window, which closed at midnight on Friday, 18 July 2025, saw an overwhelming response from aspiring police officers across the country.

According to South African Government News Agency, the SAPS confirmed in a statement on Saturday that a total of 1,049,998 applications were submitted for the programme. Of these, 595,049 applications came from female candidates, while 454,949 were from male applicants.

Gauteng led the provincial tally with 267,031 applications, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 205,802. Limpopo received 115,877 applications, while the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga recorded 108,709 and 100,516 applications, respectively. The Western Cape had 86,496 submissions, with the Free State at 73,214. North West had 66,167 applicants, and the Northern Cape received the least with 26,186.

The SAPS highlighted that 334,765 applicants hold qualifications at NQF 6 (Diploma) level and above. The SAPS website has since closed for applications, and the organization expressed best wishes to all applicants as they embark on this journey to join the police service.

The SAPS noted that candidates who meet the specified requirements will be contacted within three months. Due to the substantial volume of applications, those who do not meet the criteria will not receive notifications.

The e-Recruitment drive, a much-anticipated initiative by SAPS, was launched on 30 June, with the application deadline set for 18 July 2025.