Mnangagwa orders Matanga to 'flush out rogue police officers'

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday ordered police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga to flush out law enforcement agents implicated in criminal activities, describing them as "bad apples" tarnishing the image of the force.

Mnangagwa made the call when he handed over 82 vehicles to the police.

"There are still some rogue elements and bad apples among you, who must be flushed out. If you don't have the capacity (to flush them out) from among you, I will assist," Mnangagwa said.

Police officers and soldiers have been forced into corruption and crime due to poor salaries which have left them struggling to make ends meet.

Mnangagwa said the government was working to ensure that their conditions of service were improved so that they stay away from corruption.

"Corruption has no place in our great country and must never be tolerated in our society, it is therefore important that the government give you good conditions of service so that you don't get attracted to criminality," Mnangagwa said.

Following a surge in armed robberies in the country since the coming in of Mnangagwa's regime in a military coup in November 2017, the police have been struggling for resources to respond to the crime and the new vehicles came as a welcome boost.

"This (vehicles) comes at a time when the nation has witnessed a worrying surge in crimes. This fleet should therefore boost the effectiveness of the ZRP as it responds to criminal activities," he said.

Mnangagwa urged the police to be brutal in their response to criminal activities.

"Perpetrators of crime and offenders must thus be firmly dealt with in order to curb crime in our society. Criminals must never be given any breathing space to commit their illegal, immoral and even wicked acts of crime," he said.

Matanga asked Mnangagwa to give the police armoured vehicles so that they could have a fighting chance against the daring thieves.