POLICE Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga has disbanded
the traffic section, rendering top posts in that department redundant, as he
moves to create a lean structure at the top following indications the top brass
has been milking the fiscus and burdening his budget.
In a memo dated September 13 and addressed to all stations,
Matanga announced the restructuring of the traffic branch, which had become the
cash cow, funding police operations and flashy lives of top officers in the
force before the November military coup last year.
“Addressees are hereby advised that the restructuring
exercise agreed on by the central planning committee (CPC) through CPC minute
8/2018 in respect of the Traffic branch is now underway, with immediate effect
all traffic stations are to report both administratively and operationally to
officers commanding district in which they are currently operating,” the memo
read.
Previously, the Traffic branch had its own reporting
structure with its own officer commanding at district, provincial and a
national traffic co-ordinator, who was stationed at Morris Depot, but these
posts have now been made redundant.
Former national traffic co-ordinator Assistant Commissioner
Elliot Muswita has been transferred to Mutare.
Matanga opened a process to identify new leaders for the
traffic sections under their command, saying names should be forwarded to him
for consideration.
“As a preliminary step in the exercise, all officers
commanding provinces are, therefore, directed to identify suitable members of
the rank of inspector capable of heading traffic sections in their respective
provinces, the list of nominees should be immediately submitted to this
office,” he wrote in the memo.
The Minerals and Border Control branch together with
Anti-Stock Theft have also suffered a similar fate after being reduced to
sections as opposed to branches.
The creation of branches in traffic, minerals and
anti-stock theft had created fat cats in the police and multiple reporting
structures were creating problems and fanning corruption within the police,
insiders said.
“There were a lot of bosses doing nothing and most of these
presided over massive corruption, especially at the minerals and traffic
branches. These had become cash lords in the force and collapsing the branches
makes command structure easy and manageable,” a senior police officer said.
National Traffic, which operated the national highway
patrol, drew massive allowances for accommodation, meals and did not respect
the authority of officers commanding districts, according to insiders. Newsday
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