SOUTH WEST AFRICA POLICE

[Mervyn Mitton]

This cap is for a full colonel of the old South West Africa Police - when it was under Sth. African administration. Now, of course, it is known as Namibibia. Note the S.A.arms on the badge. Before Will goes 'walk about' again, I am hoping that he might have some other uniform and equipment from them ?

[Mervyn Mitton]

[Mervyn Mitton]

I think I spelt Namibia wrong in the first post. South African senior officers have a Protea flower on their peaks - SWA used to use a diamond. Remember - this is the diamond coast, where you can pick them up on the beaches. Except they shoot anyone on the protected beaches !!!

[unit8]

The SAPolice senior officers used a ALOE plant for their scrambled egg on cap visors and on the collar gorget patches.

The SADF senior officers used the protea flower scrambled egg on their cap visors

The new (SAPS) South African Police Service use the Aloe plant as the centre of the new cap badge and the same scrambled egg and gorget patches, only change on the gorgets is the button which has the SAPS emblem and not the SAP badge

Edited July 10, 2009 by unit8

[Thomas Symmonds]

Whoops, Uncle Mervyn does this mean you have slipped up?

I read else where that you had had a fall - too fast round a corner on your wheel chair? I hope not to serious ...

Unit8, any chance of a few photos to show us the aloe and protea ?

regards

Thomas

[unit8]

I only have the gorgets for the SAPolice at the moment and am just trying to figure out how to load the photographs of them. They are very similar to the cap visor scrambled egg.

A photograph of the SADF with Protea visor scramled egg can be seen in the book South African War Machine page 9

Edited July 11, 2009 by unit8

[Peter Mc]

Isn't that the welwitschia plant above and surrounding the diamond?

[Mervyn Mitton]

No - Thomas 'the tank' - I didn't miss it, but not everyone knows what we are talking about, and I didn't have a photo. Today's iafrica homepage , obligingly showed a police car with the aloe in the middle, so please find it as an attachment. The aloe is Sth. Africa's national plant - one of the succulents it has a very fleshy and moist stem.

This cap is for a Lt. Col. in the old South African Defence Force and shows the protea set centrally on the peak.

[Mervyn Mitton]

Aloe - with multi flower heads in centre of star. Note the pump action against the door - they had been rioting yesterday in Deepkloof.

[Mervyn Mitton]

This was the large helmet plate for the now, defunct, SAP mounted unit. You will see the arms are as for the SWA cap.

[unit8]

The shotgun visible is the SA made muzler which appeared in the early 1990's, it is a much heavier version of the Beretta model 200 and 202.

The reason for it being heavier is that is a combined weapon, replaced the Beretta shotgun, 37mm Stopper (baton rounds and tear gas) and the need to carry an R1 to launch tear gas grenades.

The muzler can fire

rubber bullets 12 bore in size. They come in the blue cartridge case.

Stun grenades

tear gas canisters

The latter two with ballistic rounds that would blow the barrel of a normal shotgun.

Edited July 13, 2009 by unit8

[Mervyn Mitton]

Garth - is this the one with the cylindrical magazine ? I remember Dudley showing one at a meeting - an amazing weapon and one I'm surprised overseas forces haven't taken-up. Don't suppose you have a photo of one ?

[unit8]

Garth - is this the one with the cylindrical magazine ? I remember Dudley showing one at a meeting - an amazing weapon and one I'm surprised overseas forces haven't taken-up. Don't suppose you have a photo of one ?

The one you thinking of is called the Striker. Is has a very fast firing rate but then takes for ages to reload.

The Muzler is a pump action and has a 6-8 round magazine capacity. It depends on what you load it with birdshot, SSG, AAA or baton rounds. What is nice about it and the Beretta's is you can reload very easily and in gaps between shots.

Edited July 25, 2009 by unit8