Rhodesian police

from Anti-Apartheid News. In contrast to South Africa, little attention has been paid to police methods in Rhodesia..... But evidence collected suggests that police use of force is frequent and widespread. Court evidence over the last three or four years and interviews with Africans, who had recently been interroge ated indicate a general pattern of police violence; this can be shown by some individual instances. Under cross examination in April this year, a doctor admitted that when a prisoner, who had complained of police assault was sent to him by the prison superintendent for examination, he had been told to look at certain scars and to leave out others; these were all old ones, and he was therefore able to say quite honestly to court that the scars he had seen could not have been inflicted by the police within the last month, In an inquest on Alexander Mashawira, who was found dead in his cell in Salisbury central police station in January 1965, the court was told of a deserted building, nine miles out of Salisbury, used as an interrogation centre for the deceased, Several witnesses admitted that the deceased had beén seen to fall on more than one occasion and that he had to be carried to his cell, Yet, said one detective, 'I was under the impressi¢ that he was pretending'. ‘What made you change your mind?! 'When he died These cases are no longer reported in the press, but interrogation continues, Usually beating up is done with fists and boots, but there ax complaints that prisoners had their heads bashed against a wall, that sticks and batons were used and, particularly in Bula wayo, the police seem to use a mild form of electric shock treatment, This is is the form of a long flex hanging from the ceiling in the centre of a small blacked out cell, The flex swings and inflicts shock when it touches the body, There are also other methods: 'I was forced to agree that I took part in the destruction of the post office... and each time I refused I was give? some form of punishment like the fastening of a stone onto twine and onto my testicles and let the stone hang from my testicles for a period. If I resisted this, the stone would be swung back or front or sideways,' wrote one man, presently restricted at Gonakudzingwe, Another, now in Wah Wah said, ‘When they took me into the interrogation room, before they asked me anything, one of the senior security members took a chair and hit me with it on the neck and I fell to the floor. When I rose from the ground they started asking me of the train derailment which I had no knowledge of.' The effect of this widespread use of force by the police, both for questioning and intimidating people they suspect of being politically active, but having nothing specific against, is a strong reluctance on the part of Africans to make any protest at the way they are treated. They assume that whatever the legal rights and wrongs, police power is such that in practice they can do whatever they like and the result of complaining about nistreatment could well be more mistreatment. Certainly in some cases, Africans have been restricted after complaining, and in others police have refused to listen. The Government's answer to general allegations of violence has been : categoric, The Minister admits some cases of injury or even killing by the police, but as few cases are reported he days, little violence is used and general allegations of violence can only be based on one thing. tI consider there is a general campaign being waged to undermine police authority in this comtry,! stated the Commissioner of Police.... ' and every effort must be made to counter it.!