'Biti lied to the nation about police collecting $2 million from roadblocks' - ZRP

The Zimbabwe Republic Police intends to put on record correct facts resultant of a statement attributed to the minister of Finance, Mr Tendai Biti in which he is quoted as having said.

"At roadblocks, the police are collecting about $2 million a month; the money is not coming to us. It is a breach of the law as section 103 of the Constitution stipulates that every cent that is collected in Zimbabwe must be accounted to the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is under Parliament although administered by ministry of Finance.

It is not happening. We have no problem if they say they want to retain, we will allow them to retain even 100 percent but it must come to us first to comply with the law but it is not happening."

 May it be brought to the attention of the minister and indeed to the generality of the Zimbabwean populace that the Zimbabwe Republic Police has never been in breach of any law and will never breach laws willy-nilly as the minister wants the general population to believe.

 The Zimbabwe Republic Police was authorised in terms of the law by government of which the minister is part, to retain a small percentage of the money realised from fines at road blocks. The Zimbabwe Republic Police is in possession of the Treasury Authority in this regard. We expect Tendai Biti as the minister responsible for Finance to know better and to tell the nation the truth.

 The minister lied to the nation that the Zimbabwe Republic Police is collecting about $2 million dollars per month from roadblocks, which it is not remitting to Treasury. The minister is fully aware that the organisation is only retaining a paltry $500 000 and authority to this effect is in place.

  It may be interesting for the general public to note that since the secondment of Tendai Biti to the Finance ministry following the inception of the inclusive government, the Zimbabwe Republic Police has not been receiving any meaningful fiscal support, sufficient for police operations.

Whatever the minister purports to allocate to the Zimbabwe Republic Police in the Blue Book never sees the light of the day. At one time, the minister allocated $50 million to the organisation on paper when in real terms, only $7 million was extended to the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

 This, we understand is a ploy by Tendai Biti to raise the ire of the general public by insinuating that the organisation is getting sufficient funds to carry out police operations when in actual fact nothing will be getting into the police coffers. Police operations have been crippled as a result of this seemingly deliberate ploy.

The deliberate suffocation of the Police has been happening for the past three years.
 
Surprisingly, there are some institutions that are retaining 100 percent but people like minister Biti do not raise a voice.

It must be known that policing does not come cheap.

As a patriotic organisation, we will however not be deterred.

Biti may continue to incite the general public with falsehoods, but the truth shall always conquer.

We will never renege on our mandate as we have a duty to serve the people of Zimbabwe.

By Charity Charamba (Senior Assistant Commissioner)

Chief Staff Officer (Press and Public Relations)

To the commisioner general of police.  (unedited)