A TOTAL of 368 police officers were last year dismissed from the Zimbabwe Republic Police for various acts of misconduct, Home Affairs Deputy Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi has said.
Responding to a question in Parliament last week, Deputy Minister Ziyambi said the officers had been discharged in accordance with the Police Act.
“In 2014, the police force recorded 156 deaths among its members, 467 resignations and 368 were discharged for misconduct.
“A member can be discharged for misconduct, after conviction of a criminal offence, if he or she is unfit for duty by failing to adhere to the police code of ethics and it’s recommended that he or she be discharged as unsuitable.
“Some members were discharged for desertion, where a member is discharged after absenting himself or herself for a continuous period of 21 days or more. A board of inquiry then declares that he or she is a deserter,” Deputy Minister Ziyambi told Parliament.
The highest number was recorded in 2013, when a total of 448 police officers were discharged from the police force compared to 345 in 2012.
Deputy Minister Ziyambi also revealed that about seventy-five percent of police officers in the country had no official accommodation. He said thousands of police officers are in need of decent accommodation.
Deputy Minister Ziyambi said his ministry was negotiating with local authorities for residential stands for members of the police force. The deputy minister said police have housing committees in all provinces that are responsible for addressing the accommodation issue.
He said police officers who reside outside police camps are entitled to a living-out allowance as a condition of service.
“Three quarters of police officers don’t have official accommodation. In other words, about 75 percent of our officers need accommodation and the ministry has put in place plans to provide decent accommodation for police officers,” he said.
The deputy minister said construction of houses for police officers had already begun in some parts of the country.
“The building of additional housing units in already existing police camps is underway as exemplified by building of flats at Tomlinson Depot, housing units at ZRP Glen Norah, housing units at ZRP Msasa in Mashonaland East Province, housing units at ZRP Dotito in Mashonaland Central and housing units at ZRP Nehanda in Midlands Province. These are the projects that we’re undertaking,” he said.