HARARE, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's government has banned "with immediate effect" police officers from using mobile phones while working.
The ban is contained in a
memo, ordering police officers to abandon their private communication gadgets
while on duty.
All officers are required to
surrender their mobile phones to their supervisors once they get to their
stations and only use them during their break time.
No reasons were cited for the
ban in the memo but it is widely believed this could be part of efforts to curb
police corruption.
It comes a few days after two
traffic enforcement officers were arrested in the capital, Harare, after a
viral social media video exposed them taking bribes from public transport
vehicles.
Police spokesperson Paul
Nyathi described the two detained officers as "bad apples who do not
deserve to be serving in the police service".
The new mobile policy seeks to
reinforce what appears to have been a previous order addressed to all stations
late last month.
It said "despite numerous
instructions given forbidding use of cell phones whilst on duty by members of
the police service, commanders are not enforcing this".
"No member is allowed to
be in possession of a cell phone whilst on duty. Cell phones should only be
used during break and lunch times," reads the circular.
Officers in charge of police
stations have been ordered to enforce the ban, with threats issued against
those who do not comply.
"Once a member is found
with a cell phone whilst on duty, the officer in-charge of the said member will
be put to task," the memo adds.
Police are perceived to be
among the most corrupt institutions in Zimbabwe because of low salaries and
poor working conditions.
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