126. Regarding protection and security, it is worth mentioning the role of the police
and of the prison system insofar as the right to freedom and to security is
concerned.
127. Law № 19/92 of 31 December established the Republic of Mozambique Police.
Article 254 (1) of the Constitution says the role of the Police shall be to guarantee
law and order, the security of individuals and property, tranquility, respect for a
democratic State based on the rule of law and strict adherence to the fundamental
rights and freedoms of citizens. While adhering to the principle of a multiparty
State, Article 254 (2) says the Police shall be nonpartisan.
128. A number of measures have been put in place to modernize the Police force,
including the adoption of Decree № 24/99 of 18 May, establishing the Police
Science Academy (ACIPOL) and the development of the Strategic Plan of the
Republic of Mozambique Police (PEPRM, 2003-2012). ACIPOL is geared
towards intensive and professional training of police personnel by means of higher
level courses of up to 3 and 4 years, and continual training for senior police
officers. ACIPOL’s curriculum includes courses on human rights.
129. As part of the implementation of one of the strategic goals of the PEPRM, in
2011 the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the police force, embarked on an
initiative aimed at building relationships with communities to involve them in the
campaign against crime and in the promotion of social stability. As a result of this
effort, Community Policing Councils have been established. By 2005, there were
1,125 Councils throughout the country.
130. Being a southern African country, the Republic of Mozambique Police have
joined SAPCCO (Southern Africa Police Chiefs' Cooperation Organization).
SAPCCO has developed a code of conduct, regulating adherence by its members
to human rights standards. Mozambique is a signatory to the Code of Conduct.
Moreover, when we refer to security guarantees, we must take the prison system
into account. The prison system is one of the pillars of the administration of penal
justice in Mozambique.
131. Having acknowledged the problems the prison system has been facing, in the
1990s Mozambique embark on a series of reforms with the backing of
international partners, including the UNDP, Ireland, Portugal, and the EU, among
others. This led to the unification of the police force in 2007.
132. Although the law governing the police sector is obsolete, going back to the
colonial, i.e. 1936, progress has been made from a legal standpoint, following the
coming into force of a new Constitution. Specifically:
The approval of the Legality and Justice Protection Policy (Ministers Council
Resolution № 16/2001 of 24 April), underlining correctional measures
(respect for the dignity of the human person) to the detriment of punitive
treatment based on confinement to police cells;
Approval of the Prison Policy and Implementation Strategy (Ministers
Council Resolution № 65/2002 of 27 August), supplementing the provisions
Combined Report from the Republic of Mozambique to the ACHPR, 1999-2010
24