Mavaza: ZRP Cops Can Disguise Themselves By Putting On Party’s Regalia During An Operation?
18 November 2021
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The controversial picture of the ZRP cop

By Dr Masimba Mavaza | The social media went crazy flying the picture of a police officer in ZANU PF regalia. The key board brigade started to vilify the poor officer and sharing her photo around the world. Truth being told the lady looked stunningly beautiful in the ZANU PF regalia.

The opposition and its affiliates decided to label the whole police force to be compromised by ZANU PF. The cries and noise being made by the opposition is baseless. They were supposed to ask before rushing to the press with the fake news. The office concerned is Detective Supt Memory Kanhiriri.

She was on duty at the ZANU PF conference. She was there on duty and to maintain law and order. In all terms she was on duty as a detective.

A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads them to arrest criminals and enable them to be convicted in court. There are two basic types of detectives public and private. Solving puzzles is an important part of the job, regardless of the application. So sometimes detectives have to be disguised in order to flash out criminals.

The use of the undercover technique, including proprietary business entities, is essential to the detection, prevention, and prosecution of white collar crimes, public corruption, terrorism, organized crime, offenses involving controlled substances, and other priority areas of investigation. However, these techniques inherently involve an element of deception and may require cooperation with persons whose motivation and conduct are open to question, and so should be carefully considered and monitored. The detective does not put on uniform but dresses in anyway depending with the job he or she was doing.

On this day the officer Memory Kanhiriri was on duty at the ZANU PF conference in Gweru. The conference was addressed by the president virtually. Very fee people were allowed at the venue in Bindura and the rest were to attend in their prospective provinces and the program was virtual.

Supt Kanhiriri had to disguise her self and chose to dress in a way she was not recognised. She picked a dress which would make her fit on the midst of those who had attended. Her dress of choice was a dress which resembles the ZANU PF regalia.

It was this choice which has made the opposition scream and call ZANU PF to order.

There are two types if detectives which are Private Investigators which are often former police officers, spies, military personnel, bodyguards, and security guards. While many private detectives investigate criminal matters, they are limited to the powers of citizen’s arrest and detention, as they do not have police authority.

Public Detectives – investigate activities related to criminal acts and suspected criminal activity. They fall under the category of public because their salaries come from taxes and government funding.
Law enforcement detectives solve crimes after the fact, and work to prevent the commission of crimes. Public detectives also offer security solutions. Assessing the security measures in place to protect an event or adding technical security for a network.

Detectives sometimes fill in a gap that is outside of the mandate of the the public police force. Undercover operatives remain bound by the laws, regulations and rules governing the respective law enforcement agencies. There is no law which governs what to wear in any situation. This means that Memo Kanhiriri was dressed for the occasion.

Undercover operatives remain bound by respective discipline codes. While no general exemptions are granted to undercover operatives, it is recognised that behaviour in role will of necessity reflect the requirements of an authorised deployment.Undercover operatives have an individual responsibility to ensure that they are conversant with the parameters of the use and conduct of their authority.
Undercover operatives may be required to give evidence in court proceedings about their use and conduct, and about any evidence they obtained during their deployments.
Undercover operatives must not reveal the fact of an undercover role or the detail of any undercover deployments without the express permission of their undercover covert operations manager.

Undercover operatives are bound by the Official Secrets Act and have a duty not to disclose for publication by any means whatsoever, details of any operation or investigation. This includes any information as to methodology or infrastructure of undercover units To go “undercover” (that is, to go on an undercover operation) is to avoid detection by the object of one’s observation, and especially to disguise one’s own identity (or use an assumed identity) for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization in order to learn or confirm confidential information, or to gain the trust of targeted individuals to gather information or evidence. Undercover operations are traditionally employed by law enforcement agencies and those in such roles are commonly referred to as undercover agents.

The ZRP forces use undercover police officers in a variety of operational deployments. Undercover operations, investigations and missions are inherently dangerous. The use of sworn members in a covert role in an investigation or to keep peace is practical and does not compromise the integrity of the investigation.

The overriding concern in any undercover operation is for the safety of the undercover member. So by nature Undercover Member is a sworn member who is working in plainclothes or dressing which is not uniform and in a covert manner with the goal of making personal contact with another person in a criminal investigation.
Undercover Activities” means any investigative activity involving the use of an assumed name or cover identity by an employee of the ZRP
Under cover means an investigation involving a series of related undercover activities over a period of time by an undercover employee. undercover activities” generally consists of more than three separate contacts by an undercover employee with the individual(s) under investigation.

However, undercover activity involving sensitive or fiscal circumstances constitutes an undercover operation regardless of the number of contacts involved.
Members must abstain from any activity which is likely to interfere with the impartial discharge of duty or likely to give rise to the impression that the activity may do so. Police officers are also required not to take any active part in politics.

While the constraint on political activity does not prevent officers from being members of political parties in general.

So it should be clear that nu putting on regalia of ZANU PF does not mean that the officer is ZANU PF. Those who are busy soiling the beautiful name of Kanhiriri are just blowing dust for no reason. Police officers must be impartial and objective when performing their duties with the public. This does not prevent you from being a member of political parties in general. Since they are allowed to vote it means they can take sides when voting.

Memory is a very professional and educated officer with a masters degree she knows what she does very well.

To go “undercover” is to avoid detection by the object of one’s observation, and especially to disguise one’s own identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization in order Undercover operations are the third special investigative tool included in the Organized Crime. Undercover operations occur where investigators infiltrate criminal networks or pose as offenders to uncover organized crime activity. Kanhiriri fitted in the conference and by her actions a lot of criminal activities were prevented.

There is nothing wrong done by the officer in question.

Putting on ZANU PF regalia does not make you ZANU PF.