Online Reporter
Herald Reporter
Chivi Central legislator, Cde Exevia Maoneke, has tabled a motion in Parliament calling on Government to establish a comprehensive statutory compensation and welfare scheme for police officers killed or permanently incapacitated while performing their duties.
Cde Maoneke, who is the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs, Security Services and War Veterans Affairs said there should be compensation and long-term support to surviving spouses, children and other dependants of officers who lose their lives in the line of duty.
Moving the motion on the safety, welfare and operational capacity of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the allocation of sufficient financial resources to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Cde Maoneke said the State’s responsibility to police officers and their families should extend beyond the funeral.
“The safety of those entrusted with protecting the lives of Zimbabweans should never be regarded as an afterthought,” he said. “Every day, CID detectives leave their homes uncertain whether they will safely return to their families.
“They investigate violent murders, pursue armed robbers, dismantle organised criminal syndicates and recover stolen property under circumstances that place them in constant danger.”
Cde Maoneke said CID detectives, particularly those serving in the Homicide, Serious Crimes and Vehicle Theft Squad, routinely faced armed criminals and dangerous crime scenes in the execution of their duties.
He said the risks faced by detectives required Government to prioritise their safety by providing adequate protective and operational equipment.
“Bravery alone cannot substitute for adequate protection. Courage must be equally matched by appropriate investment,” Cde Maoneke said.
“No officer should be expected to confront heavily armed criminals without modern ballistic protection, suitable operational clothing, secure communication equipment, reliable transport, and the technological resources necessary to reduce operational risks.”
Cde Maoneke said CID officers were responsible for investigating serious crimes, pursuing armed criminals and dismantling organised criminal syndicates, often putting their lives at risk to protect the public.
He cited the deaths of Detective Constables Bernard Chindeke and McKenzie Chitowe of the Harare CID Homicide Division, who were fatally shot on March 1 this year while pursuing suspected armed robbers in Ndume Village, Zaka District.
He also referred to the death of Detective Constable Cassandra Hove of Bulawayo’s all-female CID Homicide Team Lozikeyi, who died during a high-risk operation to apprehend armed robbery suspects in Pumula South in March last year.
“These officers routinely confront armed and violent offenders, organised criminal syndicates and dangerous crime scenes where the threat to their own lives is immediate and real,” he said.
“In carrying out their constitutional mandate to protect the public, many officers have sustained serious injuries, lost their lives or suffered damage to their personal property and profound hardship for their families.”
Cde Maoneke said the increasing sophistication of criminal activities required the CID to be adequately equipped to conduct intelligence-led investigations.
He called on Government to progressively modernise the department’s operational capacity through improved transport, forensic equipment, surveillance technologies, intelligence systems and other investigative resources.
He further urged the Ministries of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion and Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage to strengthen occupational safety and health standards for CID deployments through continuous training, risk assessments and adequate protective equipment.
Under his proposed welfare framework, Cde Maoneke said families of officers killed or permanently incapacitated in the line of duty should receive financial assistance, educational support for dependent children, counselling and other welfare interventions.
He called for Parliament to continue exercising its oversight role to ensure that adequate budgetary allocations were made and effectively utilised to improve the safety, welfare and operational effectiveness of police officers, particularly those in the CID.
“A nation that adequately protects those who protect it strengthens public confidence in its institutions and reinforces the rule of law,” he said.
According to the ZRP, the CID derives its mandate from Section 219 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which requires the Police Service to detect, investigate and prevent crime while maintaining law and order.
The department comprises specialised units with expertise in different categories of crime, enabling professional, intelligence-led investigations.
