A new international report has confirmed what Zimbabweans already knew; the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) is one of the world’s worst police forces.
According to the World Internal Security and Police Index (WISPI), a new report released by the International Police Science Association and the Institute for Economics and Peace, Zimbabwe ranks 102 out of 127 countries surveyed.
Zimbabwe’s police force does worse than Yemen and Sudan, and is doing only slightly better than Liberian police.
The WISPI report will not surprise many Zimbabweans.
With its use of spikes on the roads, extortion of motorists, brutal handling of protesters and poor reaction to crime, the ZRP is one of the country’s most despised institutions.
In 2016, a Transparency International report said the police was perceived to be the most corrupt institution in the country.
The ZRP’s incompetence has also had a direct impact on the economy.
According to a Zimbabwe Visitor Exit Survey (VES) Report for the year 2015/2016, police harassment was one of the main reasons why tourists would not recommend Zimbabwe to other potential visitors.
The survey polled 38 680 foreign tourists over a 12 months period between 2015 and November 2016, and found that police harassment constituted the highest percentage of the reasons not to recommend the country to potential tourists, at 43.2 percent, followed by harassment by ZIMRA officers at 14.7 percent.
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