The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has reportedly tightened regulations for officers seeking to extend their service after retirement due to a significant number of retiring officers applying for extensions. Many police officers who have reached the retirement age of 50 are reluctant to retire because they lack financial savings or assets to support themselves in retirement, NewsDay reported.
Under Section 22 (3) and (4) of the Police Act Chapter 11:10, police officers who have reached retirement age are allowed to extend their service. However, last year, the police authorities received an overwhelming number of extension applications from retired officers, leading them to implement stricter vetting conditions.
A senior police officer, speaking anonymously, told NewsDay that the majority of retiring officers apply for contract extensions as they have no other sources of income to sustain themselves after retirement. The officer was quoted as saying:
The issue is, most police officers have no savings or investments for their retirements. Owing to the meagre salaries they have been earning over the years, the majority have nothing for their retirement survival so they do not want to retire. Even after retirement, you still need to take care of your family, send children to school and cater for other family needs. So without a meaningful source of income, it will be difficult to make ends meet.
Police officers in Zimbabwe have been vocal about their low remuneration and have repeatedly appealed to Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga for improved conditions. Last year, some retiring officers received lump sum retirement packages in the local currency equivalent to approximately US$2,000, which resulted in many officers choosing to extend their service.