Top cop admits police are corrupt

News
A SENIOR police officer based in Gweru has admitted that fellow officers, particularly in the junior ranks are soiling the image of the force by engaging in corrupt activities.

A SENIOR police officer based in Gweru has admitted that fellow officers, particularly in the junior ranks are soiling the image of the force by engaging in corrupt activities.

By Stephen Chadenga

Gweru district police officer commanding (operations), Sergeant Elias Chivandire said the cops, especially those deployed at road blocks were demanding bribes, a thing he said was tarnishing the image of the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

Chivandire said they recently suspended some police officers manning a road block along the Gweru-Shurugwi Road for demanding bribes from commuter omnibus crews.

“The major problem is that the children you gave us (young police officers) are so corrupt that we have headaches in dealing with most of them,” Chivandire said at the Gweru Taxi Association (GTA) stakeholder’s meeting held at Gweru Rural police station last week.

“We had to suspend police officers manning the Senga road block after receiving numerous complaints that they were demanding bribes particularly from commuter operators.”

Chivandire said corruption was not only rife among the police but in all institutions in the country and said this was negatively impacting on development of the economy.

GTA vice chairman, Kilifford Dube had complained that members of his association were losing business to pirate transporters but blamed the police for accepting bribes and allowing them to continue operating.