1938: SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE DOG MASTERS IN THE PALESTINE POLICE
By Brig HB Heymans
Introduction
The Palestine Police Force was a British colonial service established in Mandatory Palestine on 1 July 1920, under High Commissioner Sir Herbert Samuel. Composed of Jewish, Arab, and British officers, it operated during a period of intense political unrest, particularly during the Arab Revolt (1936–1939). South Africa’s involvement in this force—both politically and operationally—offers a compelling glimpse into imperial collaboration and the export of South African policing expertise.
General Jan Smuts and the Balfour Declaration
South Africa’s connection to Palestine predates the 1938 deployment of SAP officers. General Jan Christiaan Smuts, then a prominent statesman and military leader, played a pivotal behind-the-scenes role in shaping the Balfour Declaration of 1917. As a committed Christian Zionist and close confidant of British Prime Minister David Lloyd George and Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour, Smuts actively encouraged the issuance of the Declaration, which promised the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
Smuts’s influence stemmed from:
- His intellectual and theological alignment with Zionist ideals, believing the Jewish people deserved restoration to their ancestral land.
- A lifelong friendship with Chaim Weizmann, the Zionist leader, which began in 1917 and lasted until Smuts’s death.
- His strategic role in the British War Cabinet, where he advocated for Jewish self-determination as part of a broader vision of post-war justice.
Smuts later described the Balfour Declaration as “a great act of historic reparation” and “one of the most wonderful confirmations of the moral and spiritual principle in human affairs”.
South African Police Deployment in 1938
During the final years of British rule in Palestine, two seasoned South African detectives—Detective Sergeant MMS Kitching and Detective-Lance-Sergeant ZM Pretorius—were seconded to the Palestine Police. Trained as dog masters and official photographers, they brought specialized skills crucial to counterinsurgency operations during the Arab Revolt.
Their deployment reflected:
- South Africa’s technical contribution to imperial policing, especially in rural tracking and intelligence.
- The professional mobility of colonial officers, exemplified by Harry Rice, a former SAP Lance Corporal who rose to become Deputy Inspector General of the Palestine Police (CID).
- A growing institutional pride within SAP, as its officers were recognized internationally for their expertise.
Influence on SAP’s Corporate Memory
This episode, though a historical footnote, subtly shaped the corporate memory of the South African Police:
- It reinforced SAP’s self-image as a modern, exportable force.
- Introduced counterinsurgency and canine tracking doctrines that influenced domestic operations.
- Strengthened ties to imperial policing networks, embedding SAP within a transnational security ethos.
- Contributed to a mythos of competence and global relevance, documented in publications like The Nongqai.
Conclusion
The convergence of Smuts’s diplomatic legacy and SAP’s operational involvement in Palestine illustrates South Africa’s multifaceted role in imperial history. From high-level advocacy for Jewish statehood to boots-on-the-ground policing, South African influence in Mandatory Palestine was both ideological and practical—an enduring testament to the country’s complex entanglement with empire.
Bibliography
- Morris, Benny. Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881–2001. New York: Vintage Books, 2001.
- National Archives (UK). Palestine Police Reports, 1936–1939. CO 733 series. Kew: The National Archives. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C18824381.
- National Archives of South Africa. SAP Personnel Archives. Pretoria: Government of South Africa. https://www.nationalarchives.gov.za/node/1278.
- Oxford University. Palestine Police Oral History Project. St Antony’s College. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1179/cbrl.2007.2.1.35.
- Palestine Government Printer. Palestine Blue Book, 1938. Jerusalem: Government Printer. Available at https://books.google.com/books/about/Blue_Book.html?id=XZohN7O-HiAC.
- Wikipedia contributors. “Palestine Police Force.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Last modified July 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine_Police_Force.
- The Nongqai. South African Police Journal. February 1918; March, November, and December 1938 editions. Accessed via Nongqai Publications. https://www.nongqai.org/home-tuis/
Very interesting. What struck my eye is the fact that the photo of Det. Sergt. Kitching in Palestine shows him carrying what appears to be a sporterised Enfield. As someone with a an interest in the history of firearms I have to wonder how common such modifications were to service weapons or if he was using a personal firearm.
Hallo Marthinus – Sgt Kitching was later an Officer in the Dog School at Kwaggaspoort. I have met him. If I may offer a suggestion: He was not only a Dogmaster but also a detective – he had a on on a leach and carried a camera. I think that he and his colleagues were issued with modified – lighter – rifles by the Palestine Police. When I met him I never knew about his Palestine exploits – what a pity!
I collect military and police manuals and have a, reprinted copy, of the The Palestine Police Force Manual. I thought it may have something in it and had a look. Sadly it only deals with sidearms and submachineguns. They were certainly a more militarised police-force than others at the time.
In the end it seems as though all COIN units eventually adopt lighter weapons than regular infantry. In the 90s with an older South African gentleman who had served with the Kenyan police during the Mau-Mau rebellion. He mentioned the use of privately owned firearms by some of their officers, many of whom were hunters.. I know the BSAP in Rhodesia as well as the Northern Rhodesian / Zambians were also not averse to using non-standard issue firearms on occasion.
Thank you MdL – let us hear what other expert have to say … Greetings HBH
The book “Palestine Investigated The Criminal Investigation Department of the Palestine Police Force, 1920-1948” by Eldad Harouvi provides quite a bit of information on Harry Rice’s (1932-1938) career in Palestine. Harouvi states the following: “Rice was a field man, and would tour the length and breadth of Palestine. During his incumbency, among other things were established the dog unit, a naval section and the harbour section.”
“In the mid-1930s the CID began to operate in surveillance and handling of Jews immigrating illegally to Palestine. A naval section was formed which used guard launches that patrolled the length of the country’s coastline. CID operatives kept watch on Jaffa and Haifa ports and on the railway between Egypt and Palestine; a tracker unit was also active, using dogs brought from South Africa”. HarouvI also calls Spicer (Rice’s predecessor) and Rice “soulmates”.
Apparently it was Roy Spicer who ordered that two officers be sent to Pretoria for training as Dog Masters and after their 6 months training they returned with the first 3 dogs
http://britishpalestinepolice.org.uk/polhist9a.html
Given this bit of information it would be reasonable to surmise that Harry Rice, given his friendship with Spicer and his own experience in the SAP, may have been partly responsible for bringing the dogs from South Africa.
According to Harouvi’s book, the CID published a periodic summary. I was able to find one of these, dated 1937, on the website of the Israeli Police Museum. It gives some further details of the dogs and their exploits at that time.
https://www.policemuseum.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/PPF1937.pdf
The SAP Dog Training Depot was highly thought of internationally and I found this article from 1955. https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4393&context=jclc Which states the following: “The reputation of the South African Police Dog Training Depot has circled the world. There are today men and dogs in many of the countries of the world who
have either been trained at Quaggapoort themselves or have learned their skill from
Quaggapoort trainers sent abroad. Dogs have been supplied to many countries, and
the results very carefully watched and analyzed with the view of ever-expanding
the use of dogs in that specialized field.”
One wonders what other countries made use of South African dogs and training.
Dear Marthinus
I thank you for our comments which throws more light on this interesting subject. The SAP/SAPS’s Dog School is more than a 100 years old. The first Dog School was at Irene – Capt Jan Idema of the dog School took me to the first Dog School – I will contact him for more information. Thank you for your research. HBH
I was very fortunate to have met Capt. Kitching. What a remarkable and interesting person he was.
We have invited him to the Dog School somewhere in 1998 / 1999 (can not remember exactly).
He told us that when the Dog School was started at Quaggaspoort, there were only savanna field and therefore no trees with small twigs.
The dog masters needed twigs so when a scent spoor was laid for the detective dogs, the officer who examined the accuracy of the dog can see according to the laid twigs if the dog was on the right scent spoor.
Capt. Kitching then got hold of a bunch of small Red Pine trees (about 10cm high) and planted them on the Northen side of the camp. Today these trees are fully grown and huge and grow with Bluegum trees close to the railway line that runs through the Dog School’s property.
Capt. Kitching also told us that once a month the wife’s of the personnel were allowed to go to Pretoria for their monthly shopping. A donkey cart brought them to where the railway line cross Church Street today. There they could travel further with the tram to Church Square, and in the afternoon, they travel the same way back. It was an outing that last the whole day. Lt. Col. Hendrik Smit was present with this visit, and I have asked him to proofread this to make sure my facts are accurate.
Jan Idema
Thank you for your comments!