News / National
Zimbabwe police not yet computerised
03 Mar 2023 at 06:28hrs | Views
POLICE Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga says lack of technology to investigate corruption in the country has affected the work of the law enforcement agency.
The revelations come at a time when Zimbabwe was ranked as one of the graft-ridden countries in the world by the 2022 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, which placed it at number 157 out of 180 countries in terms of corruption.
Speaking at the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) strategic meeting in Harare yesterday, Matanga said lacking of technology was hindering police from effectively dealing with cybercrimes.
"Zimbabwe is the only country in the region that is uncomputerised, and we are failing to tackle cybercrime among other issues. All the cases that are brought before the courts come through the police and Zacc. Unfortunately for the police, we are not computerised. As long as we remain uncomputerised, this will have a bearing on the quality of our investigations," Matanga said.
"On that very same note, it's very unfortunate that the world over has migrated to online methods, even when police are patrolling the streets where people live. They now employ artificial intelligence."
He said police do not have cameras among other necessary gadgets to combat crime.
"Patrols are done technologically; you see cameras all the way from your home to work even to the farms. As police, we are requesting the necessary gadgets so that we can carry out our duties without experiencing problems.
"Unfortunately, when I talk about technology, I know that we are the only police organisation in the region that is not computerised. At some point we will be found wanting because we won't be connected to other regional networks. Our work must be done technologically," he said.
The revelations come at a time when Zimbabwe was ranked as one of the graft-ridden countries in the world by the 2022 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, which placed it at number 157 out of 180 countries in terms of corruption.
Speaking at the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) strategic meeting in Harare yesterday, Matanga said lacking of technology was hindering police from effectively dealing with cybercrimes.
"Zimbabwe is the only country in the region that is uncomputerised, and we are failing to tackle cybercrime among other issues. All the cases that are brought before the courts come through the police and Zacc. Unfortunately for the police, we are not computerised. As long as we remain uncomputerised, this will have a bearing on the quality of our investigations," Matanga said.
He said police do not have cameras among other necessary gadgets to combat crime.
"Patrols are done technologically; you see cameras all the way from your home to work even to the farms. As police, we are requesting the necessary gadgets so that we can carry out our duties without experiencing problems.
"Unfortunately, when I talk about technology, I know that we are the only police organisation in the region that is not computerised. At some point we will be found wanting because we won't be connected to other regional networks. Our work must be done technologically," he said.
Source - Newsday Zimbabwe
