THE Second Republic has zero tolerance to crime, as this is one of the strategies that will help the country attain a more prosperous and empowered society, President Mnangagwa has said.
Speaking at the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services
(ZPCS) 148th Recruit Correctional Officers’ pass-out parade held at
Ntabazinduna Prisons and Correctional Service Training School in Matabeleland
North yesterday, President Mnangagwa said a nation where there is peace,
security and protection of the lives of people, property and communities
against criminal elements is assured of sustainable development and national
prosperity.
“Deviant behaviour, criminal acts and social delinquency
have no place in our society. Communities, the police and the prison
departments along with other stakeholders are directed to urgently scale-up
awareness programmes on crime prevention, conflict resolution and management,”
he said.
“Our country’s rich culture and vibrant social systems must
equally be strengthened for higher standards of morality and uprightness among
our people, especially the youth. You, the recruits graduating into the
security service sector, must desist from all forms of corruption”.
President Mnangagwa implored the ZPCS officers to be an
ideologically rooted people that are alive to the country’s foundational past,
so as to chart a strong and prosperous course for the future.
“As you leave this training school, you must continuously
draw from that rich history and have a clear understanding of the path we are
taking as a country towards building the Zimbabwe we want. As members of our
security services, you must act in accordance to the constitution, laws and
international conventions and protocols. Hold sacred your duty to protect
society from those who have been incarcerated. Play your part in the rehabilitation
of convicted persons and ensure their reintegration into society,” he said.
President Mnangagwa called on the ZPCS to establish
agro-industrial parks which will go a long way in complementing Government’s
efforts of coming up with a US$8,2 billion agriculture sector economy.
“I challenge the ZPCS to exploit its capabilities,
competences and skills by establishing agro-industrial parks to unlock the
immense potential that exists in agriculture beneficiation and value chain
development. I am pleased to note that through robust implementation of the
ZPCS farms production policy, the ZPCS farms have begun to witness increased
land utilisation. In support of this initiative, Government has since availed
20 tractors, three combine harvesters and 10 seed drill planters to the prisons
and correctional services,” he said.
The President urged the ZPCS to enhance the empowerment and
productivity prospects of rehabilitated offenders as they return to society.
He said the ongoing housing and construction boom,
industrialisation thrust and import substitution drive provides the ZPCS with
scope for new capacity building programmes and rehabilitation strategies.
“The importance of education, training and continuous
learning cannot be over emphasised. As such the adoption of the smart prison
concept, through the use of technologies for modernising the prison management
system is applauded.
“The technological and innovation drive will go a long way
towards improving service delivery. It is equally in sync with the SADC
Strategic Indicative Plan III, with regards to the promotion of public safety
and security, decongesting prisons, regional co-ordination on the transfer of
prisoners between states and the objective to build peacekeeping capacity among
prison and correctional officers,” said the President.
He further applauded the ZPCS gender policy, which recently
saw the promotion of two female officers to the rank of Deputy
Commissioner-General, saying this was reflective of his administration’s
commitment to gender parity, equity and equality across the public sector.
In his address at the pass-out parade, ZPCS
Commissioner-General, Moses Cyril Ngawaite Chihobvu, said the ZPCS was taking
seriously President Mnangagwa’s call for gender equality as they had included
this in their strategic plan.
“We have done justice to recognise the need to realise
gender consideration and elevated women on a 50/50 equity by promoting two
female officers to the position of deputy commissioner-generals, in February
this year.
“I would like to assure you, Your Excellency, President
Mnangagwa, that this is an ongoing exercise that will see women taking up
crucial positions following the recent approval of the department’s
restructuring drive that is aligned to our strategic plan,” said Comm-Gen
Chihobvu.
Present at the pass-out parade were Justice, Legal and
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, State Security Minister Owen
Ncube, Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Richard
Moyo, senior Government officials and service chiefs.
Yesterday’s pass-out parade saw 1 202 officers graduating,
comprising 873 males and 329 females. Sunday Mail
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