go and dump the victims at different police stations or in other unidentified places. When questioned for details, the police members manning the police station where the victims would have been dumped often profess ignorance. This kind of behavior is built over time because of impunity and general decay in the governance systems of accountability for state security institutions. It is a commonly held view in police circles that talk of adhering to human rights standards has the potential to make the police look weak and inefficient and thus they should look and act tough. This often leads to human rights violations by the police. It is not uncommon to hear members of the police noting that the only people who talk about human rights when it comes to the police are opposition political parties.⁴² With the toxicity and negative views held by the ruling party towards opposition political parties in Zimbabwe, the police in most instances have resorted to towing the line and apportioning a “criminal” tag to opposition political parties who are then as seen as destabilizers, enemies to peace, and agents of imperialist foreigners. These views give the police the gusto to be able to commit some of the common violations recorded by the Forum. Following superior orders In court proceedings and off the record conversations, the Forum notes that often members of the police have reported that they carry out human rights violations at the behest of their superiors. It is noted that junior officers would be afraid of refusing to disobey their superiors. Principle 26 of the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms proscribes this: Obedience to superior orders will be no defense if law enforcement officials know that an order … was manifestly unlawful and had a reasonable opportunity to refuse to follow it … This situation is quite challenging in a country such as Zimbabwe where it is difficult to draw the line between those who hold political positions in government and those who seemingly hold “political” positions in the police force. The language that has been used over time especially by senior police officers showed a bias towards the Robert Mugabe regime. The orders given to junior officers who were reportedly meant to prop up the regime were noted. It can also be discerned from the conversations with some key informants that the messages from the senior officers became blurred to the point that they seemed legal. Ineffective police oversight and complaints mechanisms Most progressive nations have oversight complaints mechanism that handle the security services sectors in their countries. These bodies are usually manned by civilians who receive and deal with complaints on the security sector by the public. When a police officer breaks the law, it is important that the police's special powers over law enforcement aren't misused in a way that allows the officer to escape a proper investigation. The civilian oversight of police is crucial for holding police accountable when police break the law or otherwise engage in wrongdoing. Section 210 of the Zimbabwe Constitution says that “an Act of Parliament must provide an effective and independent mechanisms for ⁴² Promoting Police Observance of human rights: Master Thesis, Faculty of Law University of Lund, Goreti Mudzongo, 2002. Anti-Impunity Report 21