The burden of peace and order: How Police carried the weight of nation’s stability

DAR ES SALAAM: THE days before, during and after an election are seldom calm. Across democracies, they tend to bring uncertainty, competing narratives and heightened emotion.

Tanzania was no exception. Incidents reported during and in the days following the October 29 General Election placed the country’s security organs under pressure to contain tension while upholding constitutional order.

A closer examination of events, viewed through the legal mandate and operational practice of the Tanzania Police Force (TPF), presents a more measured picture than that often conveyed amid political heat.

Rather than acting on impulse, policing during this period was guided by law, established procedure and an expanding emphasis on prevention and cooperation with communities.

The authority of the Tanzania Police Force is not informal or discretionary. It is codified.

Article 147 of the Constitution establishes the country’s defence and security organs, while Section 5(1) of the Police Force and Auxiliary Services Act, Cap 322 (as amended in 2023), defines police responsibilities with precision.

Those responsibilities include protecting life and property, maintaining peace and public order, enforcing the law, preventing and detecting crime, arresting suspects and conducting investigations.

Crucially, the same legal framework also delineates the limits of police power and embeds mechanisms for accountability.

During politically sensitive moments, this clarity narrows the space for arbitrariness and anchors policing in rules rather than rhetoric.

Police conduct in volatile situations reflects the quality of preparation behind it.

In Tanzania, officers undergo structured initial training that places strong emphasis on legal powers, ethical conduct, limits of authority and accountability.

This foundation is reinforced through continuous in-service training and promotion-linked courses, ensuring that skills and legal knowledge evolve with changing social and political realities.

Policing is increasingly treated as a profession rather than a vocation alone. Officers are trained across multiple academic levels, from certificate and diploma programmes to degrees and postgraduate qualifications.

All operational decisions are governed by standing orders and standard operating procedures, which provide internal checks on conduct during deployments such as those seen around the election.

Public order policing is among the most closely scrutinised functions of any police service.

The disturbances that followed the vote unfolded in an environment charged with political emotion, where misjudgements could easily have widened tensions.

The Police Force’s approach prioritised prevention and early intervention. Routine patrols, intelligence-led operations and monitoring of potential flash points were used to identify risks before they hardened into disorder.

Community policing formed a central part of this strategy, framing citizens as partners in maintaining peace rather than passive recipients of security.

When demonstrations, political meetings or public gatherings arise, the law provides for a graduated response.

Dialogue with organisers is the preferred starting point, provided legal requirements are met.

Only when engagement fails, or when public safety is at risk, do police invoke enforcement powers under the Police Force Act, the Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Act.

Even then, officers are required to balance enforcement with constitutional freedoms, including the rights to assembly and expression. Modern policing increasingly values de-escalation, and Tanzania’s Police Force has invested accordingly.

Officers receive specialised training in crowd management, negotiation and conflict prevention, both within national institutions and through external programmes.

This approach reflects an understanding that force alone rarely resolves political tension. The objective is to prevent isolated incidents from escalating into broader unrest that could threaten national stability.

During the post-election period, restraint and proportionality shaped operational responses. Scrutiny of police conduct increasingly focuses on respect for human rights.

In Tanzania, police operations are guided by national law alongside regional and international human rights commitments.

Operational plans, particularly for largescale deployments, are developed with these obligations in mind.

Arrest, detention and interrogation are governed by the Criminal Procedure Act, the Penal Code and the Evidence Act.

Officers receive regular training on constitutional rights and lawful procedure.

Accountability mechanisms include internal disciplinary systems, ethics desks and complaint-handling structures.

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The e-Mrejesho digital platform has broadened access to feedback, enabling citizens and officers alike to submit complaints, suggestions and commendations—an important component of institutional credibility.

Trust as a measure of effectiveness Public trust shapes the effectiveness of policing more than any single resource.

Where trust exists, citizens are more likely to report crime, share intelligence and comply with the law.

Community policing has strengthened these relationships in many parts of Tanzania.

Cooperation with local leaders and government authorities has improved information flow and contributed to declining trends in serious crime.

Public perception, in turn, influences whether citizens see the Police as partners or adversaries. Sustaining these gains will require consistent investment.

Training budgets, particularly for human rights, de-escalation and technology driven policing, need reinforcement. Community policing would benefit from firmer anchoring in national policy to shield it from political cycles.

Improvements in equipment, transport, communication systems and officer welfare would further support professional conduct. Citizens also carry responsibility.

Peaceful political participation, respect for the law and cooperation with lawful authorities are indispensable, especially during elections.

It is an undeniable fact that the incidents of October 29 and 30 tested Tanzania’s internal security institutions.

While opinions and sentiments differ, the scale and complexity of the situation indicate that the Tanzania Police Force acted within its legal mandate, drawing on professional training and established procedures to maintain peace, public order and national stability.

No policing system is without shortcomings, and scrutiny remains essential.

Yet in a global context where post-election disputes have frequently descended into prolonged violence, Tanzania’s experience points towards a model of policing that values restraint, legality and cooperation.

In an era of polarised politics, such an approach remains one of the most reliable safeguards of public peace.

The responsibility to protect lives, property and national security places law enforcement agencies in a delicate position during elections, when political emotions run high and misinformation can spread rapidly.

In such moments, neutrality and adherence to the law become critical.

The police response during the disturbances underscored the principle that public order is not an abstract concept, but a necessary condition for citizens to exercise their rights safely and without fear.

The events also expose the shared responsibility between the state and society in sustaining peace.

While the police are tasked with enforcing the law, citizens, political actors and civil society all play a role in shaping the security environment.

Provocative rhetoric, unlawful assemblies and deliberate attempts to undermine public institutions complicate the work of law enforcement.

The relative containment of unrest during this period suggests that, despite isolated incidents, a significant degree of public cooperation and institutional coordination was maintained.

From a comparative perspective, Tanzania’s experience stands out in a region and a world where contested elections often trigger cycles of retaliation, militarisation and long-term instability.

In many such cases, the failure lies not only in policing tactics but in the erosion of trust between citizens and security institutions.

The ability of the Tanzania Police Force to operate without widespread breakdowns in order points to the value of sustained investment in training, command discipline and respect for legal frameworks.

Nonetheless, moments of crisis should serve not only as tests but as opportunities for reform and learning.

Strengthening community policing, enhancing transparency in operations and improving communication with the public can further consolidate trust.

When citizens understand the rationale behind security measures, compliance is more likely to be voluntary rather than coerced, reducing the risk of escalation.

Ultimately, the October 29 incidents reaffirm a central lesson: peace is not accidental, nor is it guaranteed.

It is the product of institutions that understand their mandate, exercise authority responsibly and recognise that legitimacy is built as much through restraint as through power.

In navigating a tense electoral moment without descending into chaos, the Tanzania Police Force demonstrated the quiet but critical role of law enforcement in holding the centre when a nation is tested