Vice President Dr Philip Mpango has urged the Tanzania Police Force to strengthen cooperation with all election stakeholders as the country heads towards the 2025 General Election, saying such collaboration is vital to ensuring fairness, preventing disputes, and maintaining national stability.
Opening the Annual Senior Police Officers’ Meeting at the Police College in Moshi yesterday, Dr Mpango outlined priority areas for joint action.
These include holding campaign rallies only in authorised locations and within legal timeframes, preventing unauthorised demonstrations, ensuring equal security for all political candidates regardless of party affiliation, and managing large gatherings to avoid disruption of social and economic activities.
He also called on the police to work closely with the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) and other state bodies to enhance the use of information and communication technology in monitoring inflammatory content on social media and other platforms.
The Vice President warned that with the aid of artificial intelligence, malicious actors could fabricate images or videos of candidates, with potentially serious consequences for public peace.
“The Police Force must be ready to conduct online patrols, detect and analyse posts, images and videos with elements of illegality, and take swift legal action,” he stressed.
Dr Mpango further underscored the need for coordinated efforts with the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) and other security organs to curb electoral corruption.
He urged community policing units to work closely with local government authorities at ward, village and street levels to maintain safety throughout the electoral period.
Highlighting the importance of the rule of law, the Vice President said all security organs and election stakeholders must fully understand and uphold electoral laws to avoid voter intimidation and disruption of the process.
He appealed to citizens and political leaders to report any violations to the relevant authorities rather than taking the law into their own hands.
In addition, he emphasised continuous capacity building for police officers through training that enhances readiness, integrity and professionalism.
He commended the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for ensuring officers are equipped with specialised skills to strengthen operational effectiveness.
Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Daniel Sillo thanked President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration for providing the ministry with adequate resources, modern equipment and staffing, which have improved policing and national security operations.
He noted that recruitment and promotions have bolstered crime control efforts and boosted morale among officers.
For his part, IGP Camillus Wambura assured the public that the Police Force is well-prepared to ensure the elections are conducted peacefully, with a smooth transition to the next government.
He said the meeting’s theme reflects the collective responsibility of all citizens to safeguard peace before, during and after the polls.