Arron Nyamayaro
Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage permanent secretary, Ambassador Raphael Faranisi has challenged police officers to use their education and training to improve service delivery, investigations, decision-making and engagement with communities.
Speaking at the 43rd graduation ceremony of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Staff College in Harare yesterday, Ambassador Faranisi said academic achievements should translate into more effective, ethical and responsive policing.
“Graduation is not the end of your learning journey; it is the beginning of a greater responsibility to translate knowledge into service,” he said.
A total of 395 officers graduated with certificates and diplomas, comprising 240 men and 155 women. Ambassador Faranisi said the gender composition reflected the valuable contributions of both men and women to policing, as well as the organisation’s commitment to inclusivity.
He commended ZRP leadership for treating education as a strategic investment in institutional development and applauded academic partners, including the University of Zimbabwe, Bindura University of Science Education and the Higher Education Examinations Council (HEXCO), for supporting programmes at the Staff College.
Ambassador Faranisi stressed that police education should produce officers who combine professional knowledge with sound judgment, integrity and respect for justice.
“The authority to enforce the law must be matched by the wisdom and integrity to exercise it responsibly,” he said. “Knowledge without character cannot adequately serve the interests of justice.”
Ambassador Faranisi said Zimbabwe’s drive towards Vision 2030 and the implementation of the National Development Strategy 2 required a peaceful and secure environment in which citizens could thrive and businesses could operate with confidence.
He hailed the college for embracing the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 philosophy, which integrates teaching, research, community service, innovation and industrialisation.
According to Ambassador Faranisi, the institution’s Gold Medal at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair and Silver Medal at the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show demonstrated its growing capacity to develop home-grown solutions to operational and administrative challenges.
Ambassador Faranisi also highlighted the importance of the college’s HEXCO-accredited Financial Investigations programme, saying it would bolster efforts to combat economic crimes, corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing.
“I urge the College to continue developing specialised programmes that respond to emerging criminal trends and the evolving demands of law enforcement,” he said.
He said the college’s aspiration to become a degree-awarding ZRP university was a strategic goal deserving sustained support, urging stakeholders to strengthen academic partnerships, research capacity, infrastructure and quality assurance systems.
University of Zimbabwe Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Mapfumo said the institution’s partnership with the Zimbabwe Republic Police Staff College was founded on a shared commitment to intellectual excellence, ethical leadership and innovation within law enforcement.
“As an associate college of the University of Zimbabwe, the Police Staff College represents a pivotal academic and professional partnership dedicated to advancing human capital development, academic integrity and specialised research within the security sector,” he said.
