Chinamasa tells ZRP officers to be patient

Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa says Treasury's failure to meet the needs of the police force was largely due to declining revenue inflows.

At a passout parade for 486 police officers in Harare yesterday, Minister Chinamasa said the situation was temporary and urged the ZRP to bear with Government.

"I for one as Minister of Finance and Economic Development remain conscious that the operational efficacy and effectiveness of the police is severely weighed down by inadequate fiscal funding, thus negatively impacting the ability of the police to meet the expectations of the public," he said.

"Let  me  also  underline the fact that I am fully aware that policing is not a cheap undertaking hence, it requires timely injection of sufficient resources and financial support from Government.

"Indeed, Government is duty-bound to ensure the deployment of continuous financial resources to the Zimbabwe Republic Police in order for the organisation to fully discharge its constitutional mandate."

While commending the force for combating corruption, Minister Chinamasa warned bad apples against engaging in graft.

"It is imperative for every police officer to remember that when you engage in corruption, you tarnish the image of the whole police service, including those who do their job professionally," he said.

Minister Chinamasa said the anti-graft crusade was everyone's responsibility and Government was determined to rid the nation of corruption.

He said the inclusion of Basic Financial Accounting in the police training curriculum would enhance competence when dealing with fraud and misappropriation of funds.

The minister said Government's economic turnaround efforts under Zim-Asset needed active police involvement to succeed.

"Essentially, peace, security and defence are prerequisites for growth under Zim-Asset, thus, police officers should continue providing an enabling environment for the successful implementation of this policy and for economic activities to start and prosper," Minister Chinamasa said.

Present  at  the  pass-out parade were Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri, Home Affairs Deputy Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, Minister of State for Harare Miriam Chikukwa, senior Government officials and senior army and police officers.