Zimpapers Logo

THE Zimbabwe Republic Police’s ability to function efficiently hinges on co-operation from members of the public whom it serves. Thus it is crucial that the police, at all times, maintain rapport and a good working relationship with the generality of Zimbabweans.

It is worrying that this relationship has of late become strained as a result of a variety of factors, chief among which is the perception that the police are out to “get” members of the public, be it motorists, travellers, cross-border traders, small scale miners and commuter omnibus operators. There is animosity between traffic police and the motoring public and this is down to the numerous roadblocks on the country’s roads which the details manning them use to extract money from drivers.

Statistics indicate that the ZRP last year suspended 357 officers for various acts of misconduct with Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri reiterating that the force would not tolerate dishonesty within its ranks. Addressing officers at the Legal Services Directorate Strategic Workshop in Harare last month, Cde Chihuri said: “For the avoidance of doubt, let me emphasise this point for the umpteenth time in the presence of all of you. The ZRP is not home to dishonest and unprofessional persons. And it will neither brook nor incubate any acts of corruption, improper performance of duty nor timidity that tarnishes the good name of our organisation”.

His sentiments dovetail with the organisation’s vision which is to be the leading police service provider in the world by the year 2020. In its client service charter, the ZRP also endeavours to maintain law and order, protect and secure the lives and property of the people and to institute dynamic policing practices that engender effective prevention, investigation and detection of crime.

The force is bound by values of commitment, professionalism, accountability, transparency and integrity. By and large, the majority of members of the ZRP are professional individuals out to serve the people of Zimbabwe but there are some bad apples who are tarnishing the image of the police by engaging in acts of misconduct. The majority of these errant officers are found in the traffic section where the preoccupation nowadays seems to be bribe-taking at the expense of effective policing.

In Government, there is widespread concern over the number of roadblocks on the country’s roads with Tourism and Hospitality Minister Cde Walter Mzembi raising alarm over the ramifications for the tourism industry. Of course the number of roadblocks on the highways should be balanced with the need to maintain peace and security in the country but considering that Zimbabwe is not at war nor does it have any security concerns should inform the deployment of police officers on the roads.

We maintain that the ZRP currently has a perception problem with the majority of Zimbabweans having an adversarial relationship with the police and this cannot be good for the effective discharge of duties by members of the force. Examples abound of members of the public engaging in altercations with police at roadblocks after being asked to pay their way through the checkpoints.

We don’t condone the behaviour of kombi drivers, touts and mshika-shika drivers who wantonly flout traffic regulations and engage in running battles with the police but their impunity comes from the fact that they are used to paying their way past roadblocks and thus have no respect for the police.

This should stop because no-one has a right to take the law into their own hands and the police would be within their rights to use force to deal with such miscreants. Be that as it may, the ZRP needs to go back to basics and restore the integrity of the organisation by enforcing a strict disciplinary regime to weed out bad apples from its ranks. It should regain the trust of its various publics by executing its duties in an impeccable and professional manner devoid of corruption and other vices.

In the same vein, members of the public should desist from tempting officers by offering them bribes to wriggle out of traffic offences. Such people should be arrested and prosecuted. We are glad that the issue of corruption in the police force is receiving the highest priority in Government and will soon become a thing of the past. On Wednesday, President Mugabe warned traffic police engaging in corruption at roadblocks and challenged them to improve their education.

We hope they took heed. Speaking at Morris Depot in Harare at a pass-out parade of 593 graduands, the President advised the cops to be upright in the execution of their duties. “I am told, while performing your duty, lots of temptation will visit you, especially police officers manning roadblocks. Such temptation, I am reliably informed, is blind to gender or age and is not regional or tribalistic. Be warned!” he said. We couldn’t agree more.