BULAWAYO, SEPT 18, (SOUTHERN EYE LIVE): HOME Affairs and Cultural Heritage minister Kazembe Kazembe has ordered newly-graduated police officers to intensify the fight against drug syndicates, cartels and peddlers as the country battles the growing scourge of drug and substance abuse.
Kazembe made the call this Friday while addressing police graduands at a passout parade at Ntabazinduna Police Training Academy just outside Bulawayo.
“I therefore make a clarion call to you, focus on disrupting drug syndicates and cartels, destroy all drug bases, and apprehend drug peddlers without ceasing until the country is cleaned of this menace,” he said.
“Bring to justice all those who profit from the pain and destruction of our communities.”
Kazembe said drug and substance abuse was particularly worrying among young people, warning that the scourge was destroying lives, tearing families apart, fuelling violence and threatening the future of a generation.
The minister said the recruits were joining the police force at a time when the country was also grappling with rape, murder and road traffic accidents which continued to claim lives.
He challenged the new officers to apply their newly- acquired skills to tackle all forms of crime.
“The public expects the police to be always ahead of criminal elements in order to guarantee a safe and secure environment conducive to the attainment of the national vision,” Kazembe said.
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The recruits underwent training in contemporary policing, criminal law, disaster management and emergency response, counter-insurgency studies, national strategic studies and cybercrime investigation.
Kazembe also called for the modernisation of policing methods, saying traditional approaches were no longer capable of combating the emerging forms of crime.
“We are in an era where the Zimbabwe Republic Police must adopt a moon-shot mentality and keep transforming its operations,” he said.
“I therefore urge the organisation to aggressively embrace the smart policing philosophy by modernising its systems and equipping officers with the skills needed to combat contemporary crimes.”
He said police should embrace data-driven technologies, warning that physical patrols alone were no longer enough as criminals increasingly operated in cyberspace.
“Physical patrol is no longer enough; cyberspace also needs to be technically patrolled with vigour and vitality. Technology is a force multiplier when it is used with integrity,” Kazembe said.
The minister further warned the recruits against corruption, saying police officers must demonstrate integrity when exercising their duties.
“A bribe accepted at a roadblock, a docket deliberately misplaced, evidence tampered with, or a criminal protected for personal benefit weakens the entire justice system, let me be clear; corruption has no place in the Zimbabwe Republic Police," he said.
Kazembe said officers who joined the police to unlawfully enrich themselves had chosen the wrong career and would face the full wrath of the law.
He also urged the new officers to strengthen relations with communities, saying members of the public were important partners in preventing and detecting crime.
“Policing is not done for the people but instead, it is done with the people,” he said.
“Every village, suburb, business centre and neighbourhood contains citizens who can contribute to the prevention and detection of crime. They are partners. Build relationships with them.”
Of the 1,001 recruits who graduated, 30% were female, a development Kazembe said demonstrated the government's commitment to gender inclusivity.
The minister also reminded the new officers that their duties would expose them to challenging environments, including busy streets, remote villages, mining communities, border areas and residential neighbourhoods.
“You will serve on cold nights, under the scorching sun and during periods when your families also need you. You may also be called upon to enter situations from which others are running away,” he said.
Kazembe urged the officers to uphold the constitutional mandate of the police and contribute toward creating a safe environment for communities, commerce and national development.
He also commended the Ntabazinduna community for supporting the police training academy, describing the area as historically significant in Zimbabwe's liberation struggle.
