The organisation structure for the Legal Services and Professional Standards Directorate is shown on the Appendix H Organochart.
The Directorate is responsible for providing legal services to Command and represent the ZPS in legal matters. The Directorate is also responsible for developing and implementing professional standards that guide the conduct of Police Officers in the execution of their duties.
The Directorate performs the following specific functions:
a) Liaise with the National Prosecutions Authority (NPA) on prosecution matters;
b) Liaise with the Attorney General’s Chambers on litigation matters involving the ZPS;
c) Advise investigation officers on appropriateness of the charge or offence a suspect is charged with, the admissibility or inadmissibility of evidence collected;
d) Provide legal advice to Police Command on legal matters;
e) Prepare draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with third parties, contracts, draft deeds and other legal documents;
f) Develop and disseminate guidelines on professional conduct of police officers on the performance of their duties;
g) Collaborate with the Research and Planning directorate on parliamentary business matters;
h) Investigate complaints against police officers from members of the public and victimized police officers and recommend appropriate action to Police Command;
i) Sensitize police officers on matters of professionalism, ethics, discipline and code of conduct; and
j) Develop and publish materials on integrity and professionalism.
The Directorate is headed by a Director – Legal Services & Professional Standards (Deputy Commissioner of Police) who is assisted by one (1) Deputy Director – Legal and Professional Standards (Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police).
The Directorate comprises the following two (2) Sections:
The Section is responsible for providing legal advice to Command and represent the ZPS in legal matters.
The section performs the following specific functions:
The Section is responsible for developing and implementing professional standards that guide the conduct of Police Officers in the execution of their duties.
The Section performs the following specific functions: