Online Reporter
Arron Nyamayaro
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Traffic officers in Harare have been urged to seek counselling for mental health challenges brought about by their work as first responders to road crashes.
The call came during a Road Trauma, Mental Health and Peer Support Workshop held for the ZRP Traffic officers, where one of the facilitators, Dr Vongai Munatsi, a Psychologist said the nature of policing – particularly traffic duty – exposes officers to life-and-death situations that can leave lasting psychological effects.
Speaking to participants, Dr Munatsi noted that officers experience trauma, anxiety, stress and emotional burdens after witnessing serious injuries and fatalities on the road.
“Your duties are about life and death, and the experiences you go through leave some with trauma, anxiety, stress and burdens,” she said. “The best remedy is to confront your experiences, share them – because your behaviour in dealing with challenges is your saviour in managing away with trauma.”
Dr Munatsi urged officers not to run away from painful memories, stressing that trauma may return and deepen when it is avoided.
“Instead of running away from the trauma, fight as a way of treating and not feeding the past experiences,” she said. “Trauma comes in different ways – through sounds, smells, darkness, banging of doors and anger among others.”
She also cautioned officers against self-medicating with drugs and substances, warning that such coping mechanisms can be dangerous and destructive.
“Do not deal with trauma by engaging in drugs and substance abuse,” she warned. “Some victims think it is a solution, but it is too dangerous and ruinous.” The workshop also included guidance on the signs and symptoms of trauma, with facilitators encouraging officers to reflect and share personal experiences.
One officer narrated how she developed an aversion to eating rice and mince meat after attending a fatal road traffic crash. Another participant said she became traumatised after handling a murder case involving domestic violence, where she later lived in fear of seeing an axe, knives and ropes.
Another officer shared a particularly disturbing experience linked to forensic duties. He said that after being asked to take samples from a post-mortem of an alleged murdered person, the other officers he was working with refused to accept the body parts upon exchanging duties. He reported that he ended up taking the body parts home, where his wife questioned what was wrapped.
“The smell was there and my wife asked what was wrapped, and it was not disclosed,” he said, describing how the experience continued to haunt him. After the sessions, most participants praised their senior officers for organizing the programme, saying counselling is necessary for dealing with stressful issues instead of resorting to alcohol, stage managed happiness and illicit drugs.
They emphasised that mental health support should be treated as part of responsible policing, given the psychological toll of emergency response work.
Another facilitator, Sam Nyaude, said police officers need continuous counselling workshops because they interact with people from different backgrounds, all facing various challenges.
“Everyone expects his or her challenges to be addressed by a police officer in uniform,” Nyaude said. “They do not see them as people with challenges, hence the need to continuously take them for counselling sessions.”
