THE Zimbabwe Republic Police, just like other public institutions, has had its fair share of criticism especially with regards to carpet interviews and demand for sexually-induced promotions and transfers among its female members. NewsDay (ND) reporter Xolisani Ncube last week had an opportunity to chat with Deputy Commissioner-General (crime) Josephine Shambare (JS) to discuss challenges faced by female cops, her own successes and demystify the negative portrayal of female police officers.
Below are the excerpts of the interview;
ND: Can you tell us how it is being a female top police officer? JS: I will start my response by giving you a bit of my background. Let me say I was very lucky that I grew up in the family of nine, and was the third child, but the first daughter.
So I had to be exemplary because my parents were very strict. I had to be exemplary especially to my younger sisters. The fortunate thing is that we used to work very hard because my father was a rural farmer and at the same time he had several shops. So we used to work very hard in the shops and in the fields. And he managed to send all of us to school up to university level without any problem. I joined the force (police) as a graduate, so at least I started at a better level.
But as I was growing in the force, I was fortunate that my late husband, who was a law lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe encouraged me saying I could not rely on one degree only. I then continued pursuing studies and obtained four diplomas and and a master’s degree in education. I then went for an MBA and now I am pursuing something higher, but due to the busy schedule I haven’t been able to complete it in time. From that background I didn’t find the work so challenging, it’s only that as a female police officer you have to work a 1 000 times over to be at par with your male counterpart. You have your normal duties as a police officer and then your other duties as a mother and a wife. But I managed to overcome that. But I could say I withstood the heat associated with that dual roles and proved my abilities.
ND: What do you attribute your success to considering that you are the only female deputy police commissioner-general following the death of Barbra Mandizha? JS: I am proud to say, I was the first female depot commandant since 1980, I was the first one to run this training depot. After having been promoted, I became chief staff officer (crime), chief staff officer (human resources). But my second accolade, which I am very proud of, I was the first female commander of ZRP Support Unit, which is the paramilitary wing of the police. I think I did very well and up to now, I don’t think there is any other female officer who has taken that post. I used to work with other commanders in the Airforce of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe National Army and the military units because of my position at Support Unit. These are my two major achievements in my policing career.
Then outside our borders, I was at one time seconded to Lesotho Police Service to identify the first female commander and then I was just a junior police officer. I was part of the assessment team tasked with looking for the best woman to make the police boss. Although I was junior in the sense that the person I was going to identify was senior to me by far, we were very successful. Then we came back and in 2010 and 2011, I was seconded to Namibia Police and I was assigned to come up with their strategic plan, they didn’t have a strategic plan.
ND: How have you managed the tasks of being a mother and a senior cop and all the responsibilities that you have outlined? JS: Well, from the word go, I knew I had the capability of doing all these assignments and still be a mother. And secondly, I knew that I was now a single parent, I was required to work hard for my children. Thirdly, I just wanted to prove to my critics and admirers that to be where I am today is not through any special favours, but sheer hard work.
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ND: There are some who allege that most female police officers only get promoted after offering sexual favours to their male bosses, how far true are these allegations? JS: As I have said befoere, I am here not because of any favour but hard work and dedication. As a police force our policy is very clear, promotion is on merit and nothing else. What you are asking is hearsay and usually said by people without the full understanding of how the police force operates. When one is promoted, the tasks also increase and as such, if it’s not for merit, the organisation would crumble. I am the Deputy Commissioner-General responsible for crime and I have to fight crime using all the skills and ability I have, working with other officers. Right now, there are only two of us in the office, Deputy Commissioner (Godwin) Matanga and myself as others are attending some critical businesses. So we are required to provide guidance and direction to the organisation. For us to achieve that, there has to be merit on my part to contribute equally as is required of me to the running of the institution just like my counterparts.
ND; Who has been your role model? JS: My late mother was a role model to me, she used to work hard and was very passionate about achieving whatever she set for herself. She was a strict person and loved to see a vision in a person coming to fruition. I am what I am through her motherly care.
ND: What other challenges are faced by female police officers in the discharge of their duties? JS: Maybe it is the history of the police, that before independence, most female officers were assigned secretarial duties. Police work is very demanding and is not very easy. You work very long hours, you work at night and you travel a lot. Some husbands may not feel comfortable to allow their wives to go for such challenging jobs. But I believe there is no shortcut to success as a female police officer other than hard work and determination. There is no favour which can sustain a rise of a police officer other than hard work. It’s a military profession, which demands skill and bravery. But I believe, we need supportive husbands as female police officers and that encouragement to sail through.
ND: What could be your success narrative for female police officers as you are the top female cop in the country? JS: If you look at the history of the police force, it has never been easy for female cops. We have braved the struggle and managed to increase the numbers of female police officers in the force. Besides, now tough assignments within the force are no longer a preserve of male officers but even us, some of our female officers are standing the heat and giving a hard fight to our male counterparts.
If you look from the time I joined the force, we had around 1 000 female police officers, but today , we are around 11 000. Even at the top commandership level, the representation there has increased. We have more female commissioned ranks with critical posts within the organisation. For your information, this has nothing to do with being a female police officer, but merit and character.
We have also developed a deliberate strategy of ensuring that as a region Sadc within our police forces, we give challenging tasks to female officers as they have proved to be diligently serving. Even when it comes to disciplinary cases, we have fewer disciplinary issues to do with female police officers and that has helped us advance our cause.
ND: Your last words to your troops especially female police officers. JS: They have to be courageous, it’s not an easy road but it needs dedication, commitment and resilience. We are all equal with equal opportunities in the force.
