STRAIGHT TALK : An open letter to newly appointed IGP Sirro

Allow me to cordially greet you Sir, our newly appointed Inspector General of Police Simon Sirro, and we pray to God that you be granted not only health and energy but also courage to fulfil your national duties.

We wish you a very good term of service and to be able to leave good legacy when finally you hang up on retirement, as we have always prayed for others, but only time defines them. You will surely also be judged, keep that in mind.

You have taken the baton from your predecessor and went out immediately to give your own manifesto of what we should expect from you, and almost on the go you have attempted to differentiate yourself, and I like your agenda. Your agenda is indeed our agenda because you are the beacon of peace and security in our country under the Force you will be leading until retirement or at the pleasure of the President.

You have set out a 7 point plan as well as immediately gone to action. I agree with them all, especially the issue of threat of security pertaining to the Coast Region around Ikwiriri and Kibiti and that the so called mysterious killings must stop.

No one will disagree with you on fight against corruption which has tarnished our country and which hurts service delivery. White collar corruption should be on top of your agenda, if I may advise. Corruption in the Police Force should go into sub zero. You are right IGP Sirro to pinpoint on drug trafficking as an area which needs a quick fixing. Please start from where your predecessor reached. However, be warned that corruption is what sustains this illegal business.

While we agree to your agenda, I would like also to involve you in listening to us and listening very good to what we, as citizens would wish our IGP to do for us, so that we would meet half way, as at the end of the day this country is for all of us.

The first thing, which is common knowledge, is accusation that the Force is involved in torturing detainees at Police Stations. This has been said in several cases and hence I beg you to look into the matter and deal with it as it as against our Constitution and international laws.

Secondly, the Police Force has been singled out as being anti-Opposition. It has found every excuse to discourage their rights to assembly and thus failing to implement their legal and constitutional rights. It has been ages since Opposition has felt free to conduct political activities because of Police orders which they challenge as being illegal and adding salt to the wound some outspoken Opposition leaders have been arrested and charged on frivolous accusations.

The Police also has been accused to side with opposing sides in political parties, the case at hand being the CUF. We have seen nothing of the sort within the ruling party.

Please IGP Sirro retain the Police Force into its own zone and try not to expose it to rivalry between parties as it is not healthy to our country. Ease down the hard stand on parties as they are playing their roles, if not there was no need to continue with multi-party system in Tanzania.

Finally, it is Zanzibar which has been turned into a playing field for the tramping of human rights and unlawful arrests. You are, I very much believe, in full knowledge that in Zanzibar the Police has been collaborating with Zanzibar Government Forces of KMKMK, Valantia, Zima Moto and Mafunzo in doing what deserves not of the Police.

Please address this with urgency. If there was anywhere you need a shaking and establishing your mark it is in Zanzibar. Please do the needful, so as to win people’s trust to our Force. All the best IGP Sirro and we wish you well on this herculean task which requires a steel will.