One police officer for every 201 residents in Zambezi, governor reveals

Patience Makwele

Zambezi Governor Dorothy Kabula-Simushi has revealed that the region has only one police officer for every 201 residents, highlighting a critical manpower shortage that continues to hamper law enforcement efforts despite a drop in reported crime.

The governor made the disclosure during her State of the Region Address (SORA), where she warned that the region remains critically understaffed, leaving police to contend with stock theft, cross-border crime, and other persistent security threats with limited manpower.

Kabula-Simushi said the region currently has about 712 police officers serving a population of approximately 142 000 people, translating to one police officer for every 201 residents, compared to the accepted policing ratio of one officer for every 50 people.