Police officers should avoid social media obsession especially when on duty as this soils the image and reputation of the force, Acting Police Commissioner General, Godwin Matanga has said.
Matanga made the remarks while sending off a contingent 10 Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers, on a United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur, Sudan.
He said the ZRP’s traceable record in peacekeeping should not be tainted by the outgoing team’s abuse of social media and urged them to continue raising the country’s flag high
“Officers should always rise beyond personal enthusiasm by avoiding the abuse of social media, which has the potential to taint and soil their reputation as well as that of the country.
“You should avoid the case of over excitement but be disciplined and help raise the country’s and police force’s flags high. I urge you all to remain resolute and maintain the high levels of work ethics and competence,” said Matanga.
This comes after a number of pictures with police officers clad in uniforms went viral on social media, with some of them being used as memes, earning the ZRP a fair share of criticism.
The outgoing team, which comprises seven male and six female police officers will be on a year long peacekeeping mission in the war-tone Sudan’s Darfur region.
Zimbabwe is among 39 countries engaged in various peacekeeping operations in Liberia, South Sudan and Darfur.
