Tinotenda Hove- A police force that is deployed to protect political power at the expense of the people will eventually lose the trust of the people.

That is the warning from National Progressive Democrats interim President Togara Fambi, himself a former Zimbabwe Republic Police Assistant Inspector, who says recent arrests of police officers expose a deeper crisis within the country’s policing system.

Fambi was reacting to recent reports of officers being arrested over alleged corruption at roadblocks, and the reported arrest of the Officer-in-Charge of Borrowdale Police Station in connection with an alleged robbery.

He said the incidents were not simply about individual misconduct.

“This is not simply a question of individual misconduct. It raises fundamental questions about the political direction of the police force, the priorities of the state and the institutional conditions under which officers are expected to serve,” Fambi said last week.

“A police force that is deployed to protect political power at the expense of the people will eventually lose the trust of the people,” he said.

Fambi said for years Zimbabweans have raised concerns about the use of police to suppress dissent and disrupt peaceful political activities.

“When officers are perceived to be more responsive to political instructions than to the Constitution and the needs of ordinary citizens, the police cease to be viewed as an impartial public institution. They become entangled in the political survival of the state,” he said.

He argued that the same state that demands loyalty from the police fails to provide decent salaries and working conditions.

“This contradiction is dangerous. The state expects the police to defend its political interests, but the economic system it presides over leaves many public servants struggling to survive,” Fambi said.

“At roadblocks, the authority of the uniform can then be abused to extract money from motorists, fleece mushika-shika operators and intimidate businesspeople, including Chinese nationals.”

Fambi stressed that low pay does not justify criminal conduct, but said arresting individuals will not fix the systemic problem.

“Let us be clear: poor salaries do not excuse corruption, extortion or robbery. Officers who commit crimes must be held accountable, regardless of rank or political connections. But arresting individual officers will not resolve the wider crisis if the political and institutional environment that undermines professional policing remains unchanged,” he said.

“Zimbabwe needs a police service that answers to the Constitution and the law, not to the partisan interests of those who hold political office. It needs officers who protect citizens’ rights rather than treat political dissent as a threat to be crushed,” Fambi said.

He linked the policing crisis to broader governance and economic failures.

“This is not merely a policing problem. It is a crisis of governance, political accountability and economic leadership,” he said.

“Police officers cannot build secure lives through roadside extortion. Teachers cannot survive on political slogans. Farmers cannot prosper through coercion. Pensioners cannot recover their dignity through constitutional manipulation.”

“A failing economy cannot be policed into prosperity, and a political crisis cannot be solved through repression,” Fambi said.

He also took aim at proposed constitutional changes, arguing they lack public legitimacy.

“This is why forcing CAA3 on a people who have rejected it cannot provide the legitimacy, economic recovery or public confidence that Zimbabwe desperately needs. Constitutional changes must respect the will of the people, not become instruments for extending political power beyond the people’s consent,” he said.

“The government must stop confusing control with leadership, obedience with legitimacy, and the deployment of the police with the solution to political and economic problems.”

Fambi said both police and citizens deserve better.

“The men and women in uniform are Zimbabweans too. Their welfare, dignity and professional independence matter. But so do the rights, freedoms and livelihoods of the citizens they serve.”

“The police must belong to the people, not to a political party or an administration. Their duty is to protect the Constitution and the citizens of Zimbabwe, not to police the survival of those in power,” he said.

“Zimbabwe needs political accountability, constitutional respect, economic reform and institutions that serve the public interest.”

“A better future for the police cannot be separated from a better future for the people. And neither can be achieved while political power is placed above the will of the nation.”

“Zimbabwe must be returned to Zimbabweans. Nyika ngaidzorerwe kuvene vayo,” Fambi said.