3. THE STRUCTURES OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE 
 
3.1. Community police forums (CPFs) exist at station, area and provincial levels. Further, the farming community is encouraged to join the South African Reserve Police Service (SARPS) where they will learn valuable prevention measures and how to improve emergency communication systems.
  
3.2.  Once they have joined a CPF or the SARPS, the farming community is briefed on their rights, eg. their right to make citizen’s arrests and to use firearms.
  
3.3. The SARPS is a voluntary, part-time service. Reservists fall into four categories, namely, functional policing; support services; specialized functional policing; and rural and urban sector policing. Reservists who fall in the category of rural and urban sector policing are closely involved with the protection of farms and smallholdings.
  
3.4. Volunteers can apply at their nearest police station to be enlisted as Reservists.
  
3.5. Reservists are selected according to the same set of requirements as applicants for permanent appointments, but a driver’s licence is not a requirement. The usual requirements relating to driver’s licences, academic qualifications and psychometric tests do not apply to applicants wishing to be enlisted as reservists in the category of rural and urban sector policing.
3.6. The new National Instruction on the South African Reserve Police states that a reservist appointed in Category D: Rural Safety Policing-
3.6.1 3.6.1. must perform duties excluding specialised functional duties, in operational facets of policing related to sector policing in urban and rural areas at station level;
3.6.2 may wear uniform;
3.6.3 must be trained in the aspects of functional policing that relate to his/her duties;
3.6.4 may, in accordance with Regulation 5 of the Regulations, be called up by the National Commissioner or a provincial commissioner to report for duty at a place on a date and time determined by the National Commissioner or provincial commissioner and to perform duties related to sector policing in urban and rural areas at such places and for such periods as may be determined by the National Commissioner or the provincial commissioner concerned;
3.6.5 is exempted from the usual selection requirements relating to academic qualifications and psychometric tests;
3.6.6 may only perform his/her duties in areas specified by the commander concerned;
3.6.7 must report for duty in a manner prescribed by the commander;
3.6.8 must be utilized for sector policing as determined at intervals by the National Commissioner or his/her delegate;
3.6.9 may be transferred to any other category if he/she complies with all the requirements for the specific category and has undergone or is willing to undergo the required training for that category; and
3.6.10 may not, without the written permission of the National Commissioner, perform general operational duties for the Special Task Force, Protection Services, a national key point, an airport or any intervention unit.
3.7. Every commander must determine the placement of reservists at his/her station, unit or other office of the Service in accordance with the needs and priorities at his/her station, unit or other office.