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Crime Reporter
Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga  has urged officers to use the feedback from members of the public as a yardstick for reforming and re-engineering their processes to improve service delivery countrywide.

Speaking at the official opening of the Rebranding Refresher Training Programme for Junior Officers in Harare yesterday, Comm-Gen Matanga said the ZRP, like all modern police organisations, derives its legitimacy from the people.

“We are, therefore, committed to continuous learning under public scrutiny. In this regard, we are obligated to take heed of matters that are of concern to the public. Indeed, our Code of Conduct, Police Client Service Charter and all our policies underscore the importance of professionalism in all policing endeavours.

“We should be able to use the feedback from the public as a yardstick for reforming and re-engineering our processes to improve our service delivery,” he said.

He said some operational shortcomings had been laid bare by the recent events especially the violent incidents that engulfed the nation in August 2018 and January this  year.

“It is in this regard that Government has seen it prudent that the Zimbabwe Republic Police begins in earnest to implement recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry into the Post-Election Violence which was chaired by former South African president, His Excellency, Kgalema Motlanthe,” Comm-Gen Matanga said.

He said key among these issues was the need for equipping the police with the necessary skills and capacity for dealing with rioters and that the police should be further trained in order to be professional and non-partisan in the interests of national cohesion and the protection of all citizens, among others,

He said training and supervision of officers shall be ongoing in order to ensure that all strategies to rebrand and transform the organisation dovetail with Government’s national trajectory.

A total of 62 officers-in-charge (stations) and officers-in-charge (crime) from Harare are currently undergoing the refresher course at Morris Depot.

They are covering subjects such as duties and responsibilities of an officer-in-charge, resource management, crime management, management of discipline, corruption, customer care, briefing and debriefing, public order management, cyber crime and intellectual crime, community policing and retirement planning.

Comm-Matanga said in this Second Republic, they need to entrench a new work ethic, servant leadership and ensure timeous response to matters that affect communities.

“In addition, economic turnaround and the mantra, ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’ can only find convergence if, as police, we rid communities of the fear of crime and match criminals blow for blow. Greater emphasis should always be directed against the establishment of crime in communities,” he said.