BY EDITOR
8th November 2015
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President John Magufuli earned a measure of respect on Friday morning when he stormed, virtually, into leisurely offices of the Ministry of Finance to hold some urgent consultation with its senior officials.
Fortunately, he at least found Permanent Secretary, Dr Servacius Likwelile, in place as a few other officials had decided to be on some momentary ‘French leave.’
The point of his visit wasn’t to check on attendance but to emphasize tax collection, having realized the gaps in revenue that he faces, one of whose illustrations in the morning papers was failure by 82 per cent of students in higher institutions of learning to get loans.
As the president is well known to be a man who gets things done, there is another area where he may not have to storm offices to hold strategic talks with the chiefs of security forces as a whole, as there are complex issues to be sorted out.
What is at issue here is that the police countrywide have decided to close their ‘offices,’ no longer stations as it now appears, at 6pm in the evening, like other business entities, which is, to say the least, an indication of state failure.
This is something that needs to be put right as it is sending the wrong message to criminals and making criminal investigation a non-starter, including follow-up.
Admittedly, there was already plenty that was not working in criminal investigation and crime control generally, especially the method known as ‘community policing’ which was initiated by former Inspector General of Police Saidi Mwema. He made it systematic and official.
During the stewardship of IGP Omar Mahita, the police started managing their own affairs, wresting control of the force from civilian chiefs, such as appointment of regional police commanders while the president would appoint commissioners at police headquarters.
The police started organizing their own affairs owing to revenue shortfalls and unmet expectations, especially in comparison with better placed armed forces, the military, with whom they constantly compared themselves in a war of status with debilitating consequences.
The end result is that the police have now decided to become a totally civilian entity afraid of opening offices at night for fear of criminals, leading to questions as to whether the military ought to take over the police force and beef it up with skills, weapons or what can be termed harsh treatment. They have ways and skills the police don’t have.
An informative programme at ITV post-news talk show on Friday evening shed light on what the problem is likely to be, where a seasoned watcher of public administration underlined that a situation had been reached where auxiliary police (the community policing strategy) knew everything the police were doing.
They were holding walkie talkies listening in to what police officers on duty were conversing, meanwhile they aren’t police officers and often volunteer into the ‘policing’ work as an instrument for other things. Nor is it a secret that police officers abet or ply along crime groups, share out loot, the like.
President Dr Magufuli has not studied social sciences but is likely to have a sense of wisdom which the philosophers transcribe as theory, that government is a contract between people and the ruler, where they pay him taxes and he keeps them safe.
Police work is so fundamental to public harmony that it is unspeakable, indeed shameful, that one dares talk about closure of police stations at 6pm. This step needs to be reversed and, if need be, the military be brought into the picture by nominating, for instance, the IGP from there as it is done in some countries.
This would push the police force into a military model of discipline as the weaknesses are located directly inside the police force. They should also move from community policing to criminal investigation. The President, Dr Magufuli, could do something about improving their salaries and other perks.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
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