Online Reporter
Farirai Machivenyika-Senior Reporter
GOVERNMENT yesterday gazetted the Police Amendment Bill to revise the Police Act and align it with provisions of the country’s Constitution adopted in 2013.
It will also amend the sections of the Prisons and Correctional Service Act, the Criminal Code and the Private Voluntary Organisations Act.
The Bill was published in yesterday’s Government Gazette. Clause 2 of the Bill will replace the term “Police Force” in the existing law with the term, “Police Service”.
“This clause amends the definition of the Commissioner-General and replaces the term “Police Force” with the term “Police Service”.
“It also includes a definition of “basic training”, which term is to be mentioned in section 50,” reads part of the Bill.
Clause 4 sets out the appointment of the Commissioner-General as provided in the Constitution and also provides for the appointment of his or her deputies, and the delegation of functions to them, while Clause 5 sets out the terms and conditions of service of the Commissioner-General as provided for in the Constitution.
“The Commissioner-General shall be appointed for a period of five years which may be renewed once,” reads part of Clause 5. The Commissioner-General will also be required to act in accordance with any written policy directives given by the Minister responsible for the police as provided in Clause 6.
Clause 7, “provides for the standing orders to be formulated by the Police Service Commission on the advice of the Commissioner-General of Police with the approval of the Minister,” while Clause 8 provides for the Commissioner-General to comply with the directions of the Prosecutor-General.
The Commissioner-General must also comply with any directives given to him or her by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission in terms of section 243(2) of the Constitution and directives given by Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission in terms of section 255(2) of the Constitution.
The Police Service Commission may promote non-commissioned officers while it will also be empowered to re-appoint to the Regular Service a person who has retired in terms of the Act.
“The effect of this clause amending section 19 of the principal Act is to widen the scope of the duty of a police officer to serve/execute a “summons, warrant or other process” to a “summons, subpoena, warrant or other criminal or civil process (the service of which is by any law required to be, or is capable of being, effected by a member of the Police Service),” reads Clause 12 of the Bill.
Clause 13 sets out that the Police Service Commission may discharge a Regular Service member, other than an officer, on the grounds of continued ill-health or some infirmity of body or mind while Clause 14 stipulates that the Commissioner-General may discharge a Regular Service member with the consent of the Police Service Commission.
The Bill in Clauses 23 and 24 insert new sections in the principal Act to protect the use by the Police Service of their insignia to designate items of Police Service property, and to prohibit the unauthorised wearing of the Police Service’s uniforms, badges, buttons, braid and insignia.
