Police officers have been reminded to stop the practice of throwing spikes in front of or under moving vehicles and striking windscreens with batons to effect arrests.
In an internal police memo seen by ZimLive and dated 16 April, the officer commanding Mbare district said he was reminding all officers in charge of an earlier directive by the ZRP’s Chief Staff Officer about the issue.
The Mbare police chief said the Zimbabwe Republic Police has been saddled with “avoidable litigation” emanating from the practice which is “in violation of the laws of the country.” The memo said:
Despite several memoranda sent to districts to desist from such practice, it was observed that members are continuously using spikes with some going to the extent of smashing windscreens of motor vehicles in order to effect arrests.
It should be noted that such practice is unlawful, unacceptable and not condoned by the organisation.
This conduct exposes the organisation to avoidable litigations from affected members of the public.
Some police officers are in the habit of deploying spikes to stop vehicles, sometimes leading to fatal accidents, or using batons to smash the windscreens of vehicles when drivers fail to comply.
Meanwhile, the memo goes on to say that “disciplinary action will be considered against any members who engage in such unlawful conduct.”