Police Support Unit
Police Support Unit | |
---|---|
![]() The Police Support Unit's patch under the British South Africa Police of Rhodesia. | |
Active | 1898 - present |
Country | Zimbabwe |
Agency | Zimbabwe Republic Police |
Type | Paramilitary |
Common name | Black Boots |
Abbreviation | PSU |
Notables | |
Significant operation(s) | Rhodesian Bush War |
The Police Support Unit, also known by their nickname of the Black Boots, is a
The unit gained notoriety for being an effective counter-terrorist force but received criticism in the latter stages of the Bush War as well as under Zimbabwean control for utilising brutal tactics against their targets.
Rhodesian history
The Police Support Unit had its origins in 1898 when 150
The Police Support Unit became known as the Black Boots for the boots they wore in contrast to the brown boots the rest of the BSAP wore.[4][5][6] During the first few years of the Bush War, the active Black Boots operations were manned by mercenary soldiers, predominantly white mercenaries from the Congo Crisis.[7] However, the unit's operations would eventually evolve to include native black police officers who received military training in addition to their regular police training.[8] By the late 1970s, the unit was majority black with most being veterans of the Malayan Emergency.[9][10] The white commanders in the unit were hand-selected from the regular Duty Uniform Branch of the BSAP.[11] Foreign volunteers, mostly American veterans of the Vietnam War, would also be admitted to the unit providing they passed security clearance.[12]
The Black Boots were highly regarded due to their high levels of military training and behaved more like an army unit than part of the police force.[10] They became known as the BSAP's "mailed fist" because they operated similarly to the Selous Scouts and trained at the Rhodesian School of Infantry.[13] Black policemen were attracted to join the Black Boots because of the improved pay and living conditions as well as being able to access a higher standard of education.[14]
The Black Boots would gain a tough reputation in the latter years of the Bush War with the Rhodesian Sunday Mail accusing them of being "terr hungry" for their apparent enjoyment of killing suspected terrorists.[15] They were accused of being responsible for the killing of 50 black civilians in 1978 which the Rhodesian government had claimed was targeting guerrillas.[16]
Zimbabwean history
Following the establishment of Zimbabwe, the BSAP were disbanded and refounded as the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Police Support Unit was retained.[17] They were the only paramilitary section of the former BSAP that were retained under the new police force.[18] Under Zimbabwean control, they were integrated with the Zimbabwe Defence Forces and were initially used to target Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) guerrillas in 1980.[19] Until 1982 they were mostly based in Salisbury (later renamed Harare in 1982). From 1982, they started being used on border patrols looking for South African smugglers. In the mid 1980s, the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe announced that he would be integrating Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) guerrillas who fought in the Bush War with the Black Boots over concerns by the police that it would dilute the quality of the force.[18]
They were used as an external military force in the
Since 1991, the Black Boots have competed as a volleyball team.[26] In 2017, the Support Unit team won the Confederation of African Volleyball Zone VI Championship.[27]
References
- ISBN 9781473860759.
- ^ ISBN 9780868760063.
- ISBN 9781919874333.
- ISBN 9781434829948.
- ISBN 9781902320229.
- ISBN 9781909982291.
- ISBN 9781612001944.
- ^ "Rhodesia: Police Receive Training In Guerrilla Warfare As Part Of Increased Recruitment For Country's Security Forces". British Pathé. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
- ^ Zambezia. Vol. 7–8. University of Rhodesia. 1978. p. 180.
- ^ ISBN 9780709148425.
- ^ "Lessons for Contemporary Counterinsurgencies: The Rhodesian experience" (PDF). RAND. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
- ^ "Ex-GIs fighting for Rhodesia". Detroit Free Press. 1977-04-08. Retrieved 2021-07-08 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Focus on Political Repression in Southern Africa. International Defence & Aid Fund. 1977. p. 10.
- ISBN 9781848843967.
- ISBN 9780810106581.
- ^ "Rhodesia contradicted on killings". The Baltimore Sun. 1978-05-18. Retrieved 2021-07-08 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Lot 573, 16 September 2010". DNW. 2010-09-16. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
- ^ ISBN 9780160015984.
- ISBN 9781139438384.
- ISBN 9781780723693.
- ^ "Thugs wage revenge campaign". The Gazette. 2008-07-03. Retrieved 2021-07-08 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mugabe steps up torture of opponents". Edmonton Journal. 2007-12-02. Retrieved 2021-07-08 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Flowers, Jane (2016-07-04). "Zimbabwe Police Para-military Support Unit targeted by Mozambique rebels". Blasting News. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
- ^ "Report: Zim army disarms paramilitary police unit in Harare". Eyewitness News. 2017-11-15. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
- ^ "ZRP Support Unit embroiled in farm dispute". Newsday. 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
- ^ "Police team Namibia bound". The Herald (Zimbabwe). Retrieved 2021-07-08 – via Pressreader.
- ^ "Support Unit crowned champions". The Chronicle (Zimbabwe). 2017-12-18. Retrieved 2021-07-08 – via Pressreader.