21 November 2008
Marracuene — Mozambican President Armando Guebuza on Thursday urged policemen to value direct interaction with local communities in order to better understand the relations between power, the sense of authority, and the criteria that the communities use to value their property.
Guebuza was speaking during a ceremony to mark the end of courses for policemen and prison guards, held at the Matalane police school in Marracuene district, some 30 kilometres north of Maputo.
In the two courses, that started in April, 1,256 people, including 328 women, trained as police officers, and 350 (289 men and 61 women) trained as prison guards.
According to Guebuza, these people were selected through criteria that took into account a public assessment of the applicants in their places of residence, and their civic and moral qualities.
Guebuza noted that the police are the most visible face of the justice system, because they are the only representatives of the system who move around in uniform.
"A police officer is seen both as a judge and as a lawyer, depending on the circumstances. With his uniform, he carries the full symbolism of state authority", said Guebuza.
He said that it is the responsibility of every graduate from these courses to honour the trust they have deserved from the communities, and to remember that the communities will also assess the work they now do as members of the police force.
Speaking of the action of the police, he stressed that it is not enough to set an innocent person free because that is what the law says, or to release a suspect because the crime of which he is suspected does not justify awaiting trial in preventive detention - the police must also explain to people why those whom they believe to be criminals have been released.
He urged the police to maintain an open, systematic, and direct dialogue with the people for them to cooperate in building a state of law and respect for human life and dignity.
Guebuza drew the graduates' attention to the fact that training is a continuous process, which does not end with the completion of the formal course. He said that policemen should deepen their knowledge of the social and cultural dynamics in the communities, and cultivate an image of integrity and professionalism.
"A policeman must show, in his work, that our commitment to promoting the justice system, in quality and quantity, is correct, and is attaining the desired effects", said Guebuza.
At the ceremony, the Matalane Practical School Commander, Francisco Vontade, explained that of the 1,606 participants on these two courses, 23 failed to graduate - most of these (13) were thrown off the courses when it was found that they had forged their academic qualifications. Three died before the end of the course, and seven dropped out because of illness or other, unspecified reasons.
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