Police can do their work, still be loved
The police were notorious for demanding cash even when it was public knowledge that there was no cash

The police were notorious for demanding cash even when it was public knowledge that there was no cash

Percy Toriro Correspondent
Prior to the coming of the new dispensation courtesy of “Operation Restore Legacy”, the police had become some of the most hated officials in Zimbabwe.

It was not the whole police force that was hated, it was the traffic police. The people hated the traffic police for going against the spirit of their existence and their mandate. Rather than being for the people, for the country, and for the law, their reason for existence became for fund raising.

Whilst the intention of policing is to curb lawlessness, they looked forward to vehicle owners breaking the law so that they could make them pay, either officially by way of a spot fine, or unofficially by way of a bribe.

No one who is not powerful was safe no matter how much they tried to comply with the law. They would fine you NOT for not having reflectors on your car, but for having reflectors that were not the “correct size” in line with the statutory instrument.

Similarly, they would fine you for having a fire extinguisher that was not supplied by a particular manufacturer, even if it worked better. They would also fine you for an indicator bulb that failed when a driver was coming from the farms even if it was working on your way out. It became so petty and unreasonable. They would demand cash even when it was public knowledge that there was no cash thereby exacerbating the majority’s suffering.

The number and positioning of road blocks also became so disruptive to the conduct of business as well as the smooth flow of traffic. It was common to find officers right after a traffic light where they would stop cars and disrupt the traffic flow whilst exposing other motorists to hazard.

In fact, the traffic police became a traffic hazard and an epitome of lawlessness themselves. One of the outcomes of “Operation Restore Legacy” was the reduction in the number of road blocks and the general harassment of travellers by traffic police.

In addition to the reduction in the number of road blocks, there are also less officers brandishing traffic fine books. In the past, all the dozen plus officers at the numerous road blocks would each have their own traffic fine book in readiness to write a ticket for a spot fine.

So that’s why ordinary people are happy. The business community is happy. The tourism sector must be relieved: People had stopped taking self-drive trips to resorts for fear of losing so much cash to the traffic police. The whole country is happy at the now normal way of travel. The change in the police command has certainly helped.

There is however, need for continued police presence on the roads, without the corruption and the extortion. There are ways in which the police can still be on our roads without being hated. And there are valid reasons for advocating for the police presence on the roads.

There are some drivers that just do not follow road rules or respect other road users: Drivers that will overtake recklessly, drivers that do not have a driver’s licence, and drivers that are drunk.

I want to suggest what our police can do without attracting public hate, but rather getting the people’s appreciation and confidence back. There is need for more monitoring of driver behaviour rather than the static road blocks. We need more highway patrol visibility than the more common stop and search policing.

It is the highway patrol presence that will stop unsafe overtaking on the roads. The presence of highway patrols will cause bus drivers to exercise restraint. Not all road users will enjoy the new freedom with responsibility. There are many people that use phones whilst driving thereby endangering other road users.

These cannot be caught at a road block because they will stop using their phones when approaching the police and continue again after the road block. The presence of the highway patrol, even without doing anything will force all drivers to behave on the roads. And that is what matters. Speed control and the use of speed traps is also a safety measure that benefits all motorists. Drivers tend to speed when there is no one enforcing speed restrictions.

Speeding endangers not just the motorists but other road users including pedestrians. Already we have witnessed several accidents attributed to over-speeding. The police can deal with over-speeding without attracting public outrage.

It is an individual driver’s fault when they get caught at a speed restricted zone. And such restrictions are imposed for a reason which is normally to protect other road users.

So, no one will sympathise with a driver being fined for speeding past a school, a built-up area, or a bad section of a road. As one of the professionals involved in roads design and signage positioning I know the reasons for some these restrictions.

The police can also deal with drivers endangering other drivers’ lives by overtaking on the wrong side of the road during peak hour or going against a one-way street, or even stopping where they should not stop.

Public transport drivers are most notorious for this. During the morning or evening peak periods they drive as if they are the only ones in a hurry. They will do anything and everything illegal and dangerous to get ahead of everyone else. People do not like this and expect the police to deal with the offenders.

If the police deal with such drivers the people will love them for that. There are many streets in Harare that are always blocked by kombis. The police can deal with this and receive public support.

The approach should not be the current cat-and-mouse games where the police only raid those spots occasionally. The police know such spots and they should deploy permanently in those areas until sanity prevails. I want to conclude by saying people do not hate the traffic police and their duties. They want the police to maintain law and order on the streets and highways.

They expect the police to monitor driver behaviour and regulate speeds. The people still do not want unroadworthy vehicles on the roads for public safety. They want the traffic police to do their work. But they expect the traffic police to conduct themselves fairly, honestly, and where need be, exercise reasonable discretion.

People hate corruption and extortion by law enforcers. People hate being stopped after every 10 kilometres. However, there is still an opportunity for traffic police to regain public confidence. This will only be achieved by the traffic police being helpful, responsible, transparent, and reasonable. The guiding principle is that they should work in public interest.

  • Percy Toriro is a Town Planner working in Zimbabwe and the Eastern and Southern Africa region. He also lectures in universities and researches and writes on African cities.

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