Musindo Arthur 2017 Parliamentary Oversight of the Police in Zimbabwe. Prospects and Challenges

Abstract

This study assessed the 8th parliament’s oversight function over the police and associated prospects and challenges for human rights protection in Zimbabwe. Reviewed literature on human rights, security sector governance, policing and parliament matters revealed that parliamentary oversight of the police services played an important role in monitoring and safeguarding the basic human rights of life, liberty, property, security and peace. The literature further shows that police as the principal law enforcement institution in any society ought to be overseen, especially by parliament. This is because the mandate to enforce laws entails special legitimate authority to limit certain rights by means of necessary, reasonable and minimal force. If unchecked, this power to limit rights is susceptible to abuse and gross rights infringement under the guise of law enforcement. Oversight thus ensures a delicate balance between rights-protection and rights-limitation. Parliament is crucial in police oversight; it has versatile authority and numerous means for monitoring and superintending police institutions, policies and actions. Qualitative techniques were employed to analyse content solicited from parliamentarians, parliamentary staff, police/home affairs officials, media, human rights organisations and the academia by means of interviews and questionnaires. The research largely confirmed the researcher’s presumption that parliamentary oversight of the Police had the propensity to contribute towards improved human rights monitoring and protection. It found out that the 8 th parliament exercised its oversight function over the police in Zimbabwe. Parliament brought to fore issues of Police unethical conduct relating to traffic policing, management of public protests and general corruption. In the aftermath of an oversight visit to police institutions, a Parliamentary committee also recommend measures to protect and promote the respect of rights to fair labour practices, shelter and good working conditions for police officials as well. Despite noting challenges that affected parliamentary oversight such as political interference, institutional and personal capacity deficiencies; lack of information, the research however found out that in terms of prospects, oversight was normatively guaranteed by law and that it was deemed derisible by the stakeholders. The research discussed the findings in relation to the objectives of the study and ends with recommendations for buttressing the prospects for parliamentary oversight over police to ensure that parliament exercises its oversight role over the police to promote rule of law, respect for human rights and