The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) is the national police force of Zimbabwe, having succeeded the British South Africa Police on 1 August 1980. History The predecessor of the Zimbabwe Republic Police was the British South Africa Police of Rhodesia and the interim state of Zimbabwe Rhodesia. The Zimbabwe Republic Police was officially established on 1 August 1980 to succeed the BSAP, the then Home Affairs Minister Cde Joshua Nkomo announced the new post independence title for the national police. Following independence in 1980, the force had a strength of about 9,000 regular personnel and a further 25,000 police reservists (nearly half of whom were white Zimbabweans of European ancestry). After independence, the force followed an official policy of "Africanisation", in which senior white officers were retired, and their positions filled by black officers. In 1982, Wiridzayi Nguruve, who had joined the force as a Constable in 1960, became the first black commissioner of the force. He was then succeeded by Henry Mkurazhizha whose deputies were Augustine Chihuri and Emmanuel S. Ruzario, the former going on to become commissioner. Zimbabwe Republic Police commander's rank was upgraded from Commissioner to Commissioner-General in 2008. This followed a similar move in the Zimbabwe Defence Forces in 1993 and consequently in the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service in 2014. Structure The Zimbabwe Republic Police consists of at least 45 000 officers and members as at 1 May 2018, and is headquartered in Harare at the Police General Headquarters (PGHQ). Overall, command of the force is exercised by the Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga. He is deputised by four Deputy Commissioners-General who form part of the Central Planning Committee (CPC) a decision passing body in the ZRP. The Deputy Commissioners-General are also deputised by Commissioners. This structure makes Commissioner-General the highest rank. General organisation The force has four divisions headed by Deputy Commissioners-General that consist of provinces which are normally headed by a Commissioner. The provinces include Duty Uniform Branch (DUB), Support Unit, Canine Unit, Technicians, Depot Training wing, the Traffic branch and Administration Staff. The plain clothes units include the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Border Control Unit, Police Internal Investigations, and Police Internal Security Intelligence (PISI). Special Units Anti-Stock theft The Anti-Stock Theft Unit was established in November 2004, after realising that there was a need to build the national herd in line with government's policy of reviving the national economy. Historically, livestock have been the source