National Police Commissioner George Fivaz said in Pretoria the investigation team working under Transvaal Attorney-General Jan D'Oliveira would be almost doubled.
The need for this was underscored by murder allegations on Sunday against former Civil Co-operation Bureau operative Ferdi Barnard, Fivaz said in a statement.
Reacting to these claims in the newspaper Rapport by Barnard's former girlfriend Amor Badenhorst, TRC vice-chairman Alex Boraine said several of Barnard's former colleagues had agreed to co-operate with the commission. They had also indicated they would apply for amnesty.
Barnard had not yet asked for amnesty, Boraine said.
Badenhorst alleged Barnard and a number of other former and serving policemen had been involved in several murders, drug smuggling and other irregularities.
She claimed Barnard had murdered Wits lecturer Dr David Webster in May 1989, while the CCB had also been involved in the killing of activist Anton Lubowski in Windhoek in September of the same year.
D'Oliveira's team of 27 detectives investigating these and other crimes would be expanded into a crack unit of 45, Fivaz said. The extra staff would be handpicked detectives, selected for their skills and integrity.
"They will be headed by senior detectives with a proven track record of reliability and efficiency."
Fivaz said he had held talks with d'Oliveira in this regard several weeks ago, and steps to boost the Attorney-General's team were at an advanced stage.
It would be led by Dir Ivor Human, presently working with the team, and Dir Neville Thomas, based in Gauteng.
Fivaz said he was especially concerned about allegations of corruption against members of the Organised Crime Unit.
"If substantiated, the SA Police Service will act mercilessly against such individuals," he added.
Boraine said in a statement the TRC was in contact with D'Oliveira about Barnard, adding the commission was working in consultation with the Attorney-General where necessary.
"Colleagues of Barnard have agreed to co-operate with the commission, and have indicated they will apply for amnesty," Boraine said.
A number of former CCB operatives, who were to be subpoenaed to testify before the TRC, had earlier indicated they were prepared to appear voluntarily, and said they were preparing amnesty applications.
"The fact that the Attorney-General appears ready to begin new trials should encourage those concerned... to hand in their amnesty applications before the December 14 deadline," Boraine said.
Fivaz on Monday welcomed a announcement by Justice Minister Dullah Omar that the state would pay the legal fees of former and serving police wishing to testify before the TRC.
This had removed a major obstacle to them doing so, Fivaz said.
The African National Congress called on d'Oliveira to pursue every clue provided by those who had information about the murders of Webster and Lubowski.
It said in a statement in Johannesburg the majority of South Africans never any doubt that the two killings had been the work of what it called agents of the apartheid regime.
"We call on all those implicated in such acts in defence of the system of apartheid to break ranks with the past, and to expose the real masterminds behind these activities," the ANC said.