Female police officers in Zimbabwe rise into senior positions

Deliberate efforts to capacitate women within the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) have resulted in a significant increase in female officers assuming senior leadership positions, a development that was once uncommon in the organisation.

Speaking on the sidelines of the ZRP Women Network Junior Officers Capacity Building Workshop held in Gweru, the network's national chairperson, Commissioner Grace Ndou, said the organisation is now witnessing women serving as officers-in-charge of police stations, commanding districts and holding the rank of commissioner.

Commissioner Ndou said since the establishment of the ZRP Women Network in 2009, the police force has recorded notable milestones in empowering female officers.

She explained that the core objective of the network was to equip women with the skills, confidence and mindset required to perform at the same level as their male counterparts.

"To date, we can confidently say that almost 30 percent of officers-in-charge within the organisation are women," Commissioner Ndou said.

"We also have female officers commanding districts and occupying the position of commissioner, which was not very common before the inception of the Women Network."

She noted that although women have always been part of the organisation, they were previously underrepresented in leadership and decision-making roles due to limited access to leadership capacitation.

"We needed to be empowered on what leadership entails, decision-making and developing the right mindset to be effective police officers," she said.

Commissioner Ndou added that some female officers have since been seconded to external assignments, including United Nations duties, while others continue to benefit from training and development programmes aimed at strengthening their professional knowledge and competencies.

While acknowledging that more progress is still required, she said the ZRP Women Network has recorded tremendous achievements over the years.

The workshop, which was held in collaboration with the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), targeted officers-in-charge from across the country and covered a wide range of subjects aimed at strengthening managerial and leadership skills.

She said the programme was also designed to remind officers of their duties and responsibilities in order to improve service delivery to the public.

Commissioner Ndou also highlighted that the ZRP was among the first organisations in the country to introduce a sexual harassment policy in 2010, a move that has helped curb the vice and empowered female officers.

"Sexual harassment often discourages women from aspiring to leadership positions, but having a clear policy allows the organisation to address such issues effectively when they arise," she said.

In a speech read on his behalf by ZRP Deputy Commissioner-General Human Resources Mind Elliot Ngirandi, Commissioner-General Stephen Mutamba said the partnership between the ZRP Women Network and NUST aligns with the police force's broader strategy to capacitate all its members.

He said the high number of female participants at the workshop reflects a deliberate commitment to inclusive capacity building and gender-responsive leadership development.

"Gender mainstreaming in capacity development ensures inclusivity and equity in organisational growth," he said, adding that quality service delivery is a product of deliberate and sustained effort.

Commissioner-General Mutamba urged the ZRP Women Network leadership to ensure that female officers continue to participate in all available training programmes to further enhance policing excellence.