US embassy cable - 05HARARE1461

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 001461 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/S FOR B. NEULING 
SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR C. COURVILLE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PREL, ASEC, ZI, Economic Situation 
SUBJECT: ECONOMIC CONTRACTION HOLLOWING OUT ZIMBABWEAN 
POLICE 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Christopher Dell for reasons 1.5 b/d 
 
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Summary 
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1.  (C) As we have reported elsewhere, Zimbabwe,s steep 
economic decline is beginning to be felt by the country,s 
security forces, the main pillars of support for the 
increasingly authoritarian Mugabe regime.  On October 18, 
Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri went public with 
complaints that the force,s stagnating budget was affecting 
morale and efficiency and warned of the consequences for 
public order.  Our contacts within the force confirmed that 
morale is at an historic low and that training needs are 
unmet.  The majority of the police are now working under the 
official poverty line of Z$9 million per month and many of 
the lower level officers have reverted to taking bribes to 
help pay for their day-to-day needs.  Many other officers 
have already left the force or are actively looking for other 
employment.  End Summary. 
 
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&Dangerous8 Underfunding 
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2.  (C) Addressing the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on 
Defense and Home Affairs October 18, Zimbabwe Republic Police 
(ZRP) Commissioner Augustine Chihuri said the ZRP was being 
&run down8 by lack of funding and that members of the ZRP 
were becoming disgruntled over poor salaries and working 
conditions.  He complained that the ZRP was being allocated 
only Z$1.7 trillion of the Z$27 trillion that the force 
needed to operate.  As an example of the effect of this 
underfunding, Chihuri noted that the ZRP required 260,000 
liters of petrol per month to maintain normal operations, but 
was only allocated 20,000 liters, &not enough for one 
precinct,8 according to the commissioner.  Chihuri added 
that the ZRP also did not have the funding to properly outfit 
its employees or provide adequate training. 
 
3.  (C) Chihuri lashed out at the Ministry of Finance for 
being biased against members of the police force, noting that 
the security guards at the RBZ were better paid than the 
police.  Under the circumstances, it was not surprising that 
corruption was increasing as police officers needed to 
supplement their incomes just to feed their families.  In a 
stark warning, Chihuri called the underfunding dangerous and 
said the country would &reap what it sowed8 if it 
continued. 
 
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Disastrous Effects on Police 
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4.  (C) Rank and file police officers have related stories of 
growing poverty to RSO local investigators.  According to 
these officers, morale in the ZRP has reached a historic low 
point due chiefly to wages that fall well below the official 
poverty level of Z$9 million per month (roughly $100 at the 
parallel market exchange rate).  A police constable earns 
only Z$2.5 million.  Assistant Inspectors and Inspectors earn 
between Z$4.5 million and Z$5.7 million per month.  With 
these salaries, officers are expected to pay ever-increasing 
prices for transportation, which now average Z$500,000 per 
week, as well as to pay rent, which averages Z$1 million per 
room per month.  (N.B. The police officers have belatedly 
learned that by destroying nearly half of Zimbabwe,s urban 
housing stock during Operation Murambatsvina they have driven 
up their own rents due to the laws of supply and demand.) 
 
5.  (C) Officers of all ranks have told our investigators 
that they are actively looking for other means of employment. 
 The police force is now reportedly down to approximately 
20,000 officers from a 25,000 to 30,000.  Even officers who 
have been with the ZRP for 15 years and are nearing their 
pension age are considering leaving the force because their 
pension payouts will be miniscule.  Those that are staying 
put say it is only because there are no other jobs available. 
 
6.  (C) Our contacts within the police have also confirmed 
Chihuri,s complaint that the ZRP is losing effectiveness. 
As a cost-saving measure, the ZRP reportedly cut training for 
new recruits.  Moreover, other training costs are being 
passed on to individual officers.  Firing range training, for 
instance, was said to be all but non-existent, since officers 
had to pay for it themselves.  As a result of fuel and 
vehicle shortages, the police have been encouraged to use 
personal transport to arrive at accident scenes or to answer 
domestic calls.  However, in many areas calls for police 
intervention simply go unanswered. 
 
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Comment 
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7.  (C) Zimbabwe,s steep economic decline is beginning to 
impact the key pillars of Mugabe,s support ) the security 
services.  We have noted elsewhere the credible reports that 
the military is being downsized by two-third,s.  The decline 
of the police may prove even more problematic for the regime 
since they are the first line of repression and have been 
responsible for the bulk of the official violence directed at 
the MDC and other regime opponents. 
DELL