Heed President’s call to end corruption
NOW that President Mugabe has spoken on corruption in the Zimbabwe Republic Police, we expect to see more action being taken against officers caught on the wrong side of the law.
The media has been awash with cases of police officers engaging in corruption and yet little, if not nothing, was being done about it.
We had reached a level where some people thought it was normal and acceptable to take bribes and other inducements in the course of performing their duties. It had become extremely difficult for the majority of people to access services without being asked for bribes.
On the roads, motorists have faced a torrid time being asked to pay bribes by some police officers. Instead of money going into the police coffers, it was instead being pocketed by a few rotten individuals. Police roadblocks have become a money-making machine for some police officers and this shameful behaviour has impacted negatively on the image of the police, in particular and the country, in general.
We expect to see the Police CommissionerGeneral Augustine Chihuri cleaning up the force by heeding President Mugabe’s call to fight the scourge of corruption. There is no denying that corrupt activities are taking place daily within the force especially involving officers manning the numerous roadblocks mounted across the country.
When the country’s top authority President Mugabe warns the force against corruption, indeed, the warning must be taken with the seriousness that it deserves and that means bringing to book those caught engaging in corruption. There should be no sacred cows when it comes to dealing with the rotten apples in the police force and other Government institutions, for that matter.
We cannot be a nation that prides itself in committing crime, especially when it involves the police who should be the custodians of our laws, which then begs the question: Who then polices the police? When corruption is reported on other Government institutions and the private sector, the police are quick to enforce the law because they acknowledge that a crime would have been committed.
We then wonder why it is not so when it involves them. We acknowledge that some police officers have been arrested and lost their jobs through corruption, but we are not convinced that it is the best we can get from the police. They must up their game and deal decisively with officers caught on the wrong side of the law.
Something more deterrent must be considered to discourage other officers from engaging in crime. President Mugabe’s warning must not be in vain. We must start seeing more arrests being made, not only of police officers but anyone accepting and receiving bribes and other inducements.
It must not just be about arrests, but we need to see them taken to prison if found guilty.
More often than not, we have seen those arrested on corruption charges roaming freely and it gives the impression that corruption is taken very lightly. Which is sad, though. Corruption has become like a cancer in the country and now is the time to fight it tooth and nail to ensure we have a somewhat clean society that upholds the law. Let us all support President Mugabe’s call to fight corruption.