As the International Bar Association points out in its October 2007 report entitled Partisan policing: An obstacle to human rights and democracy in Zimbabwe: Instead of conducting itself as a national security force charged by the Constitution and statute with ensuring public order and security in the country, the ZRP has abandoned its constitutional mandate in favour of an approach to policing which is blatantly partisan. The police repeatedly characterise government opponents and critics and their lawyers as ‘agents of the West’ or ‘enemies of the state’ and routinely violate the rights of these persons during policing operations. Biased policing further polarises Zimbabwean society and heightens insecurity and political tensions. Everyone in Zimbabwe should be guaranteed equal protection of the law. The IBAHRI asserts that the absence of such protection is a major obstacle to democracy in Zimbabwe and a considerable impediment to free and fair elections. (emphasis added) The amendments to the electoral laws introduced the specific criminal offence of intimidation. This makes all forms of intimidation a serious electoral offence. This offence encompasses such practices as:  inflicting or threatening to inflict bodily harm, causing or threatening to cause bodily harm or abducting a person if these actions compel a person or persons generally to vote for a political party or to refrain from voting or to attend a political meeting;  withholding or threatening to withhold any assistance to which a person is entitled to compel another person to vote for a political party. [This covers threats by traditional leaders to expel villagers if they do not vote for the ruling party or traditional leaders or government officials who withhold or threaten to withhold food aid to persons unless they vote for the ruling party];  using intimidation to prevent or obstruct or attempt to prevent or obstruct a political party or candidate from campaigning in any election;  preventing or discouraging persons from voting by taking, destroying or damaging their identity documents. These amendments will need to be enforced strictly, but there can be little confidence that the police force and other law enforcement agencies will suddenly change their patterns of behaviour and enforce the new provisions vigorously, professionally and in a politically neutral manner so as to create an environment in which free and fair elections can take place. There is certainly no evidence of this in the way the pre-election period has been policed so far. 7. Vote buying There has been massive vote buying by President Mugabe and other ruling party leaders. The beneficiaries of these large-scale donations were ruling party supporters. During his campaign President Mugabe has handed over vehicles 8