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Nqobile Tshili and Trish Mukwazo, Chronicle Writers

ZIMBABWE National Army, Brigadier-General Inspectorate, Brigadier-General Noel Mutisi has said that the nation’s security forces need to constantly improve their abilities to be able to adapt to the shifting new crime trends.

He was speaking during the graduation of 149 students drawn from six different courses at the School of Military Police situated in One Infantry Brigade in Bulawayo yesterday.

The graduating class was drawn from the Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services, and even one member from the Namibia Defence Force.

These included Provost non-commissioned officers (PRO SA/24), junior investigations (PRO 3A/24), Provost Traffic (Pro 94/24), military police records and maintenance (PRO BA/24), dog handling (PRO 6A/24), and regimental police (PRO 4A/24).

Brigadier-General Mutisi commended the graduates for their dedication to self-improvement but stressed the ever-evolving nature of crime. He highlighted the need for continuous skill development to effectively address emerging threats.

The ceremony also celebrated the achievements of female graduates, proving that the military embraces diversity. Brigadier-General Mutisi’s remarks acknowledged their contributions and challenged stereotypes about the field.

“I urge you to celebrate your achievements but never stop upgrading yourself to cope with the ever-changing crime trends. As you go back to your units, I urge you to use your acquired knowledge and skills for the fulfilment of your commanders’ plan. It has also been brought to my attention that there are 16 female students graduating today,” he said.

“I have been briefed that most of them did very well. The fact that they are part of the graduates here today shows the strides that women have taken in breaking the barriers of this male-dominated profession and this is in line with the organisation’s gender policy.”
Brigadier-General Mutisi stressed that success is earned through hard work, not determined by gender. He urged the graduates to maintain discipline as they return to their duties.

He acknowledged the challenges faced by the graduates during training and assured them that the army will take steps to address them.
“I have been thoroughly briefed on some of the challenges that you encountered during your training and some will be attended to in the near future.

As you are aware, your school has not been an exception to the general resource inadequacy which is affecting the entire organisation,” said Brigadier-General Mutisi.
Turning to the provost non-commissioned officers’ graduates, he said the training will enable them to effectively supervise and administer provost platoons.

“This leaves me with no doubt that the knowledge you acquired during your training helped in transforming you into competent senior non-commissioned military police officers,” said Brigadier-General Mutisi.

Brigadier-General Mutisi explained that the junior investigations course was designed to equip students with essential investigative skills, including crime scene understanding. He added that students even gained practical experience by being attached to courtrooms, allowing them to observe prosecution processes first-hand.

“I have no doubt that the knowledge you acquired during your training transformed you into competent investigators. It is now your duty as you go back to your units and organisations to continue upgrading yourself bearing in mind that we are living in an ever-changing environment in terms of crime trends. This requires you to be current with contemporary crime trends if you are to remain pertinent in the discharge of your investigations duties,” said Brigadier-General Mutisi.

He said that the traffic course aims to improve how officials handle vehicles, particularly in light of recent accidents involving security force vehicles. He also explained that the regimental police course provided graduates with practical knowledge on how to perform policing duties.

“The course covered a wide range of subjects namely guard room procedures, classification of offences, powers of arrest, scenes of crime management, civil-military relations and public relations. You also had an opportunity to be attached to guard rooms of units around Bulawayo in a bid to expose you to the practical aspect of regimental police duties and related challenges of your new field,” said Brigadier-General Mutisi.

Brigadier-General Mutisi said  the training graduates received should equip them to identify and report instances of corruption and abuse of power. — @nqotshili