Story by Fungai Jachi
THE Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has been called upon to take decisive action against political malcontents who are allegedly obstructing the government’s developmental agenda.
Addressing ZRP Chief Superintendents at a workshop held at Mkushi Academy in Harare this Saturday, the Permanent Secretary for Presidential Affairs and Devolution in the Office of the President, Engineer Tafadzwa Muguti, stressed that the police must not be hindered by politically motivated interference and should be allowed to carry out their duties without obstruction.
“No one, no matter what position they hold, is allowed to go to a police station and give instructions to the police to bar them from doing their job,” he said.
“The party does not allow anyone to storm a police station and demand the release of a suspect from holding cells or make any requests to have favours from the police. Any decision that you think is political, escalate it with the Minister of State.”
Engineer Muguti added that plans are underway to empower the police to tackle sophisticated crimes, including money laundering, by enhancing their capabilities to identify and deal with such offenses.
“Criminals now have new ways of committing crimes, and the police should be able to identify and deal with them. Money laundering has become one that is being done openly through car dealers, fuel stations, and shops.
“All this should be put to a stop but in order to do so, the police need to be empowered because we cannot allow the economy to be held at ransom by people who have unexplained wealth.
“Enforcement of traffic laws should be prioritised because surely we can not have our cities be jungles. The police should do their job and ensure there is sanity on the roads. Corruption should be dealt with because it is where our problems start we cannot have officers taking bribes and allowing lawlessness to prevail,” he said.
Police Chief Superintendents were also urged to establish systems that foster discipline and promote a positive work culture among their staff, enhancing overall policing effectiveness.
