Getting to know your police

THIS week’s edition of Crime Watch takes off from the previous one where we looked at ranks of members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

We looked at the rank of Assistant Inspector and below, whom we referred to as non-commissioned officers. It is also important that we go on to look at the higher authority of members who are commissioned officers. There are nine ranks of these officers which go up to the highest authority who is the Commissioner-General of Police. Inspectors are the first line of commissioned officers. These are identified by two star insignias or symbols on either shoulders and a police badge made of cloth on their caps (i.e. when wearing the brown caps usually referred to as drab caps).

An Inspector is usually the officer found at a police station as Officer-inCharge who is the overall commander of the police station. Other inspectors can be officers responsible for administration or in charge of crime matters at much larger police stations where the one in charge is a police officer of the rank of Chief Inspector. The only difference here is that the Chief Inspector, unlike the Inspector, has one additional star symbol to make three on each of the shoulders.

Examples of stations with Inspectors as Officers-in- Charge are Odzi, Penhalonga, Marange, Nyanyadzi and Chikanga, while those with Chief Inspectors are Mutare Central, Sakubva, Dangamvura, Chipinge Urban and Chisumbanje. The former are obviously smaller than the latter. Inspectors and Chief Inspectors make up the category of officers known as junior officers. This then follows that the rest of the officers are Senior Officers. We, therefore, discuss the next rank which is that of Superintendents. Superintendents bear the Zimbabwe Bird symbol on their shoulders. Please remember that all the shoulder titles can either be on embroidered cloth material or gilted metal depending on the dress code worn by the officer.

They can also be identified by their hats or caps which have a police badge made of cloth and a golden yellow peak/strip on the bill. Superintendents are usually found at headquarter stations like districts where they are officers responsible for such areas like crime, administration and operations. They are the officers who come just before the Officer Commanding district who is a Chief Superintendent.

The Chief Superintendent differs from the superintendent in that he/she bears a star symbol above that of the Zimbabwe Bird on either shoulders. The most senior of superintendents at a District Headquarters can be the one deputising the Officer Commanding District.

As provinces are divided into policing districts for administrative and other purposes, each district is further divided into police stations with marked policing area boundaries and the number of police stations in each district differ from district to district. Officers in Charge stations are therefore accountable to their officers commanding districts, hence our usual call for the public to always follow this reporting channel whenever they are not satisfied with any service offered by the police.

The next rank in authority after that of Chief Superintendent is that of Assistant Commissioner. In the case of Manicaland, these are found at Provincial Headquarters where they are responsible for such areas as cited for Superintendents at District Headquarters. An assistant Commissioner can be identified by a black hat with a single row peak (a more marked golden yellow strip) on the bill of the hat and bears a star-gilt symbol above a tip- stave(crossed symbol) on the shoulders. They are second to the overall commander in the province who is known as the Officer Commanding Police and whose rank is Senior Assistant Commissioner.

A Senior Assistant Commissioner bears three insignias which are a Zimbabwe Bird, a Star and a tip-stave on the shoulders and his/her hat has also a single row peak on the bill. Both Assistant Commissioners and Senior Assistant Commissioners wear gorgettes (yellow on blue linings) on collars. We hope you now know our police officers better.

◆ Inserted by: ZRP Manicaland Press and Public Relations