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Fire these rogue police recruits

21 Aug 2023 at 14:14hrs | Views
I bemoan the fall of dignity of a once noble profession. I got recruited into Zimbabwe Republic Police in 1997 and was so much excited to be part and parcel of the police force. I was not driven or inspired to join the force for money but to serve my nation through saving life and protection of property.

The then Morris Depot Police Training School now Mukushi Police Training Academy was the only training centre where police officers were training in Zimbabwe.

We were taught to be disciplined all the times on and off duty. At the training centre the roll call was conducted nearly thrice per day and once per night to account for every police recruit. No male police recruits were allowed to go out of bounds like visiting the senior officers mess or the Hickman were female police recruits were residing. Whenever we were about to have our breakfast, lunch or dinner everybody were supposed to be on a queue. If caught breaking these laws you were going to be in for it.

No police recruits were allowed to go out of the training premises unless they were assigned to carry out guard duties at the ordnance stores, Chapel, the training grounds and or other offices.

On Friday 18 August 2023 the baton wielding police officers swarmed Harare central business district, started beating civilians and disturbing the flow of business.

According to police duties and investigations manual police officers do not deploy themselves without an order from a senior command.

On the following day 19 August 2023,  ZRP gave a press statement saying that they were investigating a case of unruly behaviour which was being exhibited by some police recruits who went berserk beating people unprovoked in Central Business District and that they managed to arrest nineteen.

So the police is admitting through their press statement that they were police recruits. This raises more questions on who unleashed and gave an order to allow the police recruits clad in ZRP uniform to leave their training depot around 1800hrs and start beating people in the CBD? How did they pass through Josiah Tongogara and Josiah Chinamano main gates which are always manned throughout day and night Where was the Depot Chief Inspector?

Imagine if these police recruits have managed to have access to the armoury keys and took guns. These overzealous police recruits must be brought before a disciplinary committee and get fired. They have grossly tarnished the organisation and brought the name of the police force into disrepute.

We are just left with a few days to go to elections and how will the election observers report on such kind of behaviour? The Commissioner of Police must restore dignity and sanity on such kind of undisciplined police recruits. Such accusations of alleged police high-handedness will always haunt the organisation.

E-mail - konileonàrd606@gmail.com
Twitter - @Leokoni

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Source - Leonard Koni
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