Police force needs complete overhaul

The clip was sent to the programme, Observers by a contributor who is familiar with the workings of the police force in Zimbabwe. It contained images of young recruits lying prostate on the ground and being thrashed with a baton on the buttocks. The sender of the pictures of the pictures told France 24 that the ritual was referred to as pay day and was designed to give young policemen grounding in how to deal with the Zimbabwean public when they are on patrol. Any Zimbabwean who has watched the programme will have been satisfied with the authenticity of the pictures as senior police officers can be heard thoroughly enjoying the occasion.

Whereas the role of law enforcement agents in most countries is to maintain law and order, ensure the safety of all citizens and devote their energies to fighting and solving crimes, the Zimbabwean police force is notorious for doing the exact opposite. The police in this country have been accused of brutality, political partisanship, selective interpretation and enforcement of the law. The France 24 programme showed that as Zimbabweans have always known, policemen do not act in this brutal and unprofessional fashion spontaneously. They have been put up to it by the Zanu (PF) government and are trained to be trigger happy and ruthless from the word go.

Speaking at the re-launching of the Zimbabwean Republic Police (ZRP) Service Charter in Bulawayo last week, High Court judge, Justice Maphios Cheda called on riot police to observe the fundamentals of human rights. This is not the first time such a call has been made with respect to Zimbabwes riot police, who are notorious for their ferocity and ruthlessness. The judge warned that culprits who committed human rights violations under the pretext of maintaining public order, faced arrest.

As long as there are political elements that rely on abusing the police force to maintain their grip on power, the chances of things changing are very slim.