THE Faculty of Commerce in a collaborative partnership with the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has trained hundreds of police members through an on-going educational program.
The Department of Peace, Leadership and Conflict under the Faculty of Commerce started this program to empower the security sector through educational outreach programmes based on four thematic areas. These are Leadership, Conflict Management, Gender Mainstreaming and Project Planning. The execution and implementation of the theme entitled “Gender mainstreaming in the Security sectors” is done in collaboration with UN Women.
The main objection of the workshop is to contribute to the sustainable goals of Education 5.0 through impartial and technical methods thus working towards innovating and industrialising education in Zimbabwe. The Faculty of Commerce uses the idea that the police are the community and vice versa to ensure that both parties play their respective roles.
The Faculty of Commerce contributes to the institutional strengthening of Zimbabwean police by teaching Public Relations and building the relationship between ZRP and the public. The workshop also provides solutions to any problems between the ZRP and the general republic. The training is done across provinces in Zimbabwe and subjected to three ranks per province. The first rank is that of Constables then Middle ranking officers and lastly Commissioned officers and takes place in a space of four days per cohort.
The training is not only cost effective for police and helps with assessment on how they behave in communities. These involve public dialogue and testimonies from the public in the presence of the police to allow progressive feedback on the relationship between police and community relations.
According to lecturer in the Faculty of Commerce, Dr Kudakwashe Chirambwi the curriculum used during these workshops was put together by various members of the Faculty including the Dean Dr Peter Nkala.
Dr Chirambwi stated that the curriculum involves lessons on community policing in other countries such as Brazil, China and Britain to give examples of how police from other countries interact with their publics. Community policing is a service that calls for technical skills and capacities which are available at NUST.
According to Dr Chirambwi the curriculum is beneficial to the police as it improves their image and helps them establish police legitimacy from the public while NUST maintains its role of Cooperate Social Responsibility in the community.
He added that the Faculty wishes to train larger numbers of people which would assist in creating a peaceful environment in the country.