Zim GBC News | Political Correspondent
HARARE – Zimbabwe is facing a critical staffing crisis in its police force, with only about 14,000 officers currently in service against a recommended establishment of 50,000, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe has revealed.
The Minister made the remarks in Parliament after Chikanga legislator Lynette Karenyi (CCC) asked whether the construction of new police posts could be undermined by a shortage of officers.
In his response, Minister Kazembe acknowledged that the issue was not simply about having “very few” officers, but rather a significant shortfall compared with the official establishment required for a country of Zimbabwe’s population.
“At the moment, we are in the process of looking for people who want to join the police force because we are losing a lot of people most of the time. Before we think of creating new police posts, there is a shortage of police officers in the existing police stations, which is one of the issues that we are fixing,” said Kazembe.
The Minister explained that the ideal number of police officers is determined by population ratios used internationally. He expressed the government’s desire to increase the force but cited resource constraints as a major obstacle.
“It would be our wish to put police posts everywhere, but we do not have enough resources because of the statistics I mentioned,” he added.
“For instance, in the country, we are expected to have 50,000 police officers in line with our population. At the moment, that is the establishment we have. Even in foreign countries, there are ratios they use to determine how many police officers are needed.
“At the moment, we have 14,000 police officers. It is our wish to reach 50,000; the ones we have at the moment are few, but it would be good if they were 50,000.”
Minister Kazembe revealed that the staffing shortfall has been driven by significant attrition, including resignations, retirements, and officers leaving the service for other reasons. While recruitment is ongoing, it remains constrained by approvals required from the Treasury and the Public Service Commission.
“We are recruiting every year and training about 1,000 to 2,000 officers,” he said.
The revelation highlights the immense pressure on the existing police force, which is tasked with maintaining law and order across the country with less than a third of the recommended personnel. The shortage has raised concerns about response times, crime prevention, and the effective policing of both urban and rural areas.
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