Zimpapers Logo

Commissioner-General Chihuri

Freeman Razemba Crime Reporter
Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri has warned senior officers who attempt to selfishly undermine the force’s disciplinary processes that the full wrath of the law will descend upon them.

He said discipline was the “glue that holds” the force together and urged senior officers to work as a team to ensure that discipline was upheld at all levels.

Comm-Gen Chihuri was speaking at the conferment of ranks to 95 senior officers who were part of the 454 officers promoted by President Mugabe last week.

“The upholding and enforcement of discipline is therefore fundamental to good order and conduct in the organisation.

“It is therefore foolhardy and myopic for any member or officer to entertain the misguided notion that the organisation’s disciplinary process can be blackmailed to conform to individual whims. The organisation will therefore descend mightily with the full wrath of the law on all who scoff at discipline,” he said.

Of the 95 officers, four were commissioners, 14 senior assistant commissioners, 32 commissioners and 45 chief superintendents.

Comm-Gen Chihuri said the new posts and vacancies were created as a result of the recent review and restructuring of various sections and departments within the approved establishment of the force.

“Consequently, today’s (yesterday’s) august conferment parade follows the promotion of the senior officers by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Head of State and Government and Commander-In-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Cde Robert Gabriel Mugabe in terms of Section 14 (1) (a) of the Police Act, Chapter 11:10, which provides that; ‘The President may appoint by commission any person to a commissioned rank’,” he said.

Comm-Gen Chihuri said the senior officers had rightly earned their stripes after having successfully navigated the gruelling and highly competitive promotion exercise.

He said promotion was not considered as a reward, but an opportunity to confer more responsibilities on officers to undertake job demands.

He said the force had taken conscious time to design and implement a multi-faceted competence-based promotion process.

Comm-Gen Chihuri said the process was a one-year long competitive selection and elimination journey which comprises of pre-qualifying selection elimination, assessment centres, interviews and written promotion examinations which covers police administrative, operational, crime and human resources.

He said the force seeks to identify and select visionary leaders with the self-driven ability, capability and proven capacity to sustain the organisation’s momentum as dictated by posts specifications.

Last week, President Mugabe promoted four senior police officers to the rank of commissioner and 454 others to the ranks between senior assistant commissioner and inspector.