Policing COVID-19 restrictive regulations in Zimbabwe: The shifting crime trends and the human rights implications

ABSTRACT The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a myriad of responses on the global, regional and national levels. One of the widely adopted measures of dealing with the scourge was the crafting of stringent regulatory frameworks to curtail the spreading of the virus through restriction of citizens’ movement. The role of the police services and, importantly, the military, came under spotlight, as they were instrumental in enforcing COVID-19 containment-related laws. The confinement of people to their homes, as well as the enforcement of the restrictive regulations, led to a paradigm shift in the crime trends. More often, the police and the military had to contend with allegations of various criminal activities and human rights violations. In this paper, which was based on a documentary survey, we discuss the policing environment during the COVID-19 era. We focus on how the COVID-19 era has altered the criminal environment, focusing on criminal activities by both the public and the law enforcement agents. We also explore the human rights implications of the enforcement of COVID-19 containment regulations.