This is the Second edition of the Police General Orders. The first edition was produced in 1961 and has been in use since then. It will be noted that the structure of these General Orders is different from the previous edition. This has been necessitated by the fact that a lot of development has taken place in the area of policing. In our work now we are confronted with new legislations almost every day. There have also been changes in the way government finances are disbursed and procurement matters are handled as well as the fact that the country is now practising multi-partism in which case members of the Tanzania Police Force are no longer expected to be members of any political party. In the area of international law on policing a series of developments have taken place and some of these developments have been reflected in these Orders based on the extent our domestic laws and Constitution have taken them into account. Here, special regard has been given to the spirit of the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials 1990 and UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials 1979. In this regard, some General Orders have been modified to match with the prevailing reality and to allow flexibility to accommodate the changes that have been referred to above. The revision of these General Orders has also taken into account various Government directives on the administration of the Force in the country. PURPOSE OF THE GENERAL ORDERS This document sets forth the General Orders of the Force. They are issued pursuant to the authority granted to the Inspector General of Police under Section 7(2) of the Police Force and Auxiliary Services Act Cap. 322 R. E. 2002. The directives contained in these General Orders help guide the Force personnel in carrying out their duties and responsibilities as members of the Force. Each member is expected to follow the directives set forth in these General Orders, although it is understood that these General Orders cannot regulate conduct in every situation that may arise in the course of policing. Judgment and discretion must be prudently applied. Each directive issued supersedes all conflicting prior policies and orders published by the Force. KNOWLEDGE OF THE GENERAL ORDERS Every member is responsible for becoming aware of, understanding, and following the General Orders and other directives of the Force. Through its training programme, the Force will endeavor to increase the knowledge and understanding all members have of such directives. Members of the Force are expected to consult these General Orders when questions arise regarding execution of police work. DISCREPANCIES IN ORDERS OR DIRECTIVES All members are obliged to comply with these General Orders. Any member who believes a discrepancy exists in these General Orders or any other Force Orders or directive, or who has a question about any aspect of a responsibility or guideline, shall bring the matter to the attention of a supervisor for resolution, guidance or clarification. ISSUE OF COPIES OF GENERAL ORDERS Copies of General Orders shall be issued as prescribed in Para 5 of P.G.O. No. 22. The copies of the General Orders remain the property of the Force. Any loss of a copy of the General Orders or a part of it will be reported to the member's immediate supervisor. Members, who are issued copies of these General Orders, are responsible for maintaining their copies in a good condition and in a secure place. The General Orders shall be updated periodically by including new provisions or by revising or rescinding existing provisions as may be published in the Force Orders from time to time. As changes or additions to these General Orders are made and distributed, members shall promptly update their copies of the General Orders. The updating of the General Orders shall be done pursuant to Paras 6 to 8 of P.G.O. No 22. REVIEW AND REVISION OF THE GENERAL ORDERS Any member can propose a change to these General Orders. The proposed change must be made in writing, preferably in the format of the existing General Orders. The proposal should be routed through the official channels of communication in the Force. A team assembled by the Inspector General shall review the proposed change. The team may also act on its own initiative to propose a change to these General Orders. When the team's review is complete, the team shall recommend to the Inspector General whether the proposed change be adopted and what wording the proposed change should have. The policy and planning section of the Force shall coordinate the development of new directives, conduct periodic General Orders review and recommend updates, cause the distribution of new or amended directives, and maintain the official publications of the Force. The Police College and Training Schools will be responsible for providing or coordinating sufficient training to ensure an understanding of the existing P.G.O or new or amended General Orders. Changes to the General Orders shall be distributed as soon as possible. NUMBERED SECTIONS Directives contained in these General Orders are grouped together by category and function. Orders in a section are assigned paragraph numbers to index the information that makes up the specific General Order. There are fifteen sections grouped as follows - Force organization, Force administration, training on arms, parades and drills, complements, discipline and conduct, fiscal management, buildings and quarters, stores, communications and Force transport, staff welfare, crime and investigation, police duties – general, police bail and bond, prisoners management and supervision of offenders, traffic law enforcement, political affairs and democratic activities, and prosecutions. RELATION TO OTHER OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS Members are expected to know, understand and follow other official Force publications, including Force Orders, Standing Orders, or any other publication of a directive nature. Members are expected to keep themselves current on all directives issued by the Force that affect them. GENERAL CONDUCT The General Orders dictate discipline and good conduct. No member of the Force shall act or behave in such a manner as to dishonor or disgrace him/herself in any way that can be associated with the Force. PERFORMANCE OF BASIC DUTIES These orders underpin the requirement that Members perform their basic duties and take appropriate action to preserve the public safety, prevent crime, detect and arrest law violators, protect life and property and enforce the laws in effective and efficient way. Members should do so to the best of their ability and in accordance with Force policies, procedures and orders. Performance standards are based on the following thresholds: A. MAINTENANCE OF WORK COMPETENCY. All members shall maintain competency to properly perform their duties. Members are expected to know and enforce laws as their duties dictate. B. PERFORMANCE OF BASIC DUTIES IN A COMPETENT MANNER. Members shall perform their assigned duties in a competent manner. Incompetence may be demonstrated by i. lack of knowledge of the laws to be enforced; ii. lack of knowledge or an unwillingness to perform assigned tasks; iii. the failure to conform to work standards; iv. the failure to take appropriate action in response to a crime, incident or disorder; or v. a written record of repeated infractions of policies, procedures, or orders. USE OF DISCRETION Common sense and reasonableness shall guide a member's use of discretion when the use of discretion is appropriate. A member must be faithful to applicable laws, the oath of office, the code of ethics, and the Force's mission, goals and objectives in exercising discretionary judgment. CONCLUSION It is my belief that, as members of the Force, we must utilise our decisive strength and major resources in fulfilling our objectives. It is crucial to note that the primary emphasis of General Orders is on promoting ethical behaviour consistent with the mission, vision and objectives of our Force. It recognises the Force is a field full of complexities, which frequently present members of the Force with difficult theoretical, practical and ethical decisions. Thus the General Orders are intended to guide all members of the Force in situations where the right course of action may not always be clear. It is in this regard that the following ethos will guide the Force in its work: i. INTEGRITY - Members will always maintain personal integrity in all that they do, at work and at home. ii. EXCELLENCE - Members will always pursue excellence for themselves and the Force. iii. FAIRNESS - Members will always treat all persons fairly. iv. PRIDE - Members will take pride in themselves, the Force and their profession and shall always maintain their honour. v. HONESTY - Members will always be honest; honest to themselves, to their supervisors and to the public. vi. SERVICE - Members will always endeavour to provide the highest level of service. vii. COMPASSION - Members will always be compassionate. It is my sincere hope that these General Orders will keep our behaviour in check, keep us away from career and professional problems and guide us towards making our mission, vision and objective a reality. These General Orders come into force forthwith. SAID ALI MWEMA INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE DAR ES SALAAM 2006