History

Northern Rhodesia

Northern Rhodesia

Northern Rhodesia was a territory in south central Africa, formed in 1911. It became independent in 1964 as Zambia.It was initially administered under charter by the British South Africa Company and formed by it in 1911 by amalgamating North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia...

 is now Zambia. Bounded by Angola (Portuguese West Africa

Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

), the Belgian Congo

Belgian Congo

The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...

, German East Africa

German East Africa

German East Africa was a German colony in East Africa, which included what are now :Burundi, :Rwanda and Tanganyika . Its area was , nearly three times the size of Germany today....

, British Central Africa

British Central Africa

The British Central Africa Protectorate existed in the area of present-day Malawi between 1893 and 1907.-History:The Shire Highlands south of Lake Nyasa and the lands west of the lake had been of interest to the British since they were first explored by David Livingstone in the 1850s, and...

 (Nyasaland now Malawi), Mozambique (Portuguese East Africa

Portuguese East Africa

Mozambique or Portuguese East Africa was the common name by which the Portuguese Empire's territorial expansion in East Africa was known across different periods of time...

), Mashonaland and Matabeleland (Southern Rhodesia

Southern Rhodesia

Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...

 now Zimbabwe), Bechuanaland (Botswana) and the Caprivi strip

Caprivi Strip

Caprivi, sometimes called the Caprivi Strip , Caprivi Panhandle or the Okavango Strip and formally known as Itenge, is a narrow protrusion of Namibia eastwards about , between Botswana to the south, Angola and Zambia to the north, and Okavango Region to the west. Caprivi is bordered by the...

 of German South West Africa

German South-West Africa

German South West Africa was a colony of Germany from 1884 until 1915, when it was taken over by South Africa and administered as South West Africa, finally becoming Namibia in 1990...

 (Namibia), in 1889 it was not a political unit and had no name at all. Customary law was administered among the 70 odd tribes which populated the Territory by their chiefs. Some chiefs were, willingly or not, in league with the Arab and Portuguese slavers who preyed on the population.

In October 1889 Cecil Rhodes

Cecil John Rhodes

Cecil John Rhodes PC, DCL was an English-born South African businessman, mining magnate, and politician. He was the founder of the diamond company De Beers, which today markets 40% of the world's rough diamonds and at one time marketed 90%...

 obtained a Royal Charter

Royal Charter

A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...

 for the British South Africa Company

British South Africa Company

The British South Africa Company was established by Cecil Rhodes through the amalgamation of the Central Search Association and the Exploring Company Ltd., receiving a royal charter in 1889...

 to, inter alia, 'make treaties, promulgate laws, preserve The Peace, and maintain a police force in what was to become the Rhodesias. Harry Johnston

Harry Johnston

Sir Henry "Harry" Hamilton Johnston, GCMG, KCB , was a British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator, one of the key players in the "Scramble for Africa" that occurred at the end of the 19th century....

, Imperial Commissioner

Imperial Commissioner

Imperial Commissioner is an ambivalent English language term, used to render foreign language titles of various - mostly gubernatorial - officers whose 'commission' was in the gift of an Emperor, including China, Tsarist Russia and the Holy Roman Empire....

 in Nyasaland was additionally appointed as Administrator for the BSA Company’s territory north of the Zambezi.

Over the next 10 years small posts each under a white 'collector' were established throughout North-Eastern Rhodesia

Zambia

Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....

, the area north and east of the Kafue River

Kafue River

The Kafue River sustains one of the world's great wildlife environments. It is a major tributary of the Zambezi, and of Zambia's principal rivers, it is the most central and the most urban, and the longest and largest lying wholly within Zambia....

. Each had at his disposal a handful of armed African police. With these, and on two occasions African troops from Nyasaland, the collectors drove out the slavers and established the Company's administration. On 1 July 1895 Major Patrick Forbes of the BSA Co's Service was appointed Deputy Administrator responsible for North-Eastern Rhodesia. His escort, Sergeant Drysdale, and four troopers had been recruited from the Company's police in Southern Rhodesia and attested as 'North-Eastern Rhodesia Police'. They were dispersed to various posts to assist or take over from the local collector.

The North-Eastern Rhodesia Order in Council of January 1900 formalised the Territory's constitution. Previously jurisdiction had been exercised by Consular Courts under the African Order in Council of 1889. Now a High Court was established administering English Law

English law

English law is the legal system of England and Wales, and is the basis of common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth countries and the United States except Louisiana...

 and district magistrates were to be appointed. In 1901 Judge Leicester Beaufort arrived at the capital, Fort Jameson

Chipata

Chipata, population 98,416, is the capital of the Eastern Province of Zambia. The two languages spoken are Nyanja and English, though you might find some Indian languages, as there is a large number of Zambian Indians located in the town...

 (now Chipata). There were five magistrates and thirtyone Native Commissioners, no longer called Collectors, probably because collection of an annual Hut Tax of three shillings began that year! The Police, about 200 in all, were still recruited by each local official at his own station. Their duties were:-

1. to guard the property of the government
2. to act as escorts to caravans
3. to carry messages from the administrative officials to native chiefs
4. to effect any arrests of natives that may be required
5. to guard native prisons'

In 1903 Captain Richard Bright, a regular British Army

British Army

The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

 officer was appointed Commandant to 'organise and constitute the North-Eastern Rhodesia Constabulary as the police were to be known. He issued instructions that

1. native constables were only to make arrests on warrant or when an offence was committed in their presence
2. they were to seek assistance from the local headman when effecting an arrest or serving a summons
3. they were not to carry arms except when accompanied by a European official or when necessary for protection from wild animals

Recruits were now trained centrally at Fort Jameson.

To the West in Barotseland The Company was slow off the mark. Lewanika, the Litunga

Litunga

The Litunga of Barotseland is the king or paramount chief of the Lozi people. The Litunga resides near the Zambezi River and the town of Mongu, at Lealui on the floodplain in the dry season, and on higher ground at Limulunga on the edge of the floodplain in the wet season...

 of Barotseland

Barotseland

Barotseland is a region in the western part of Zambia, and is the homeland of the Lozi people or Barotse who were previously known as Luyi or Aluyi. Its heartland is the Barotse Floodplain on the upper Zambezi River, also known as Bulozi or Lyondo, but it includes the surrounding higher ground of...

 claimed suzerainty over all tribes between the ZAMBEZI and the KAFUE and beyond, and westward into Angola. He was anxious for British protection fearing the Matabele to the south, the Portuguese and the Belgians. He signed the Lochner Concession in 1890 but it was not until 1897 that Robert Coryndon arrived at his capital Lealui with 5 white British South Africa Police as living proof of Queen VIictoria's protection

In April 1898 Sub Inspector

Sub-inspector

Sub-inspector is a rank used extensively in the Indian Police, Pakistani Police and Sri Lankan Police, which is primarily based on the British model. It was formerly used in most British colonial police forces and in certain British police forces as well...

 Cazalet of the BSAP led a patrol along the North Bank as well as South of the Zambezi to put a stop to reported dealing in firearms, cattle stealing and other lawbreaking by Europeans. In September 1898 Captain Drury came up from Bulawayo with 13 troopers and built a fort at MONZE some miles form the present township. The purpose was to protect European traders and prospectors coming up from the South and prevent inter-tribal fighting. Offenders were fined in cattle without recourse to a court.

Cecil Rhodes was always of the view that the police force north of the Zambezi should be African. Europeans were expensive and their numbers were continually thinned by Blackwater Fever

Blackwater fever

Blackwater fever is a complication of malaria in which red blood cells burst in the bloodstream , releasing hemoglobin directly into the blood vessels and into the urine, frequently leading to kidney failure...

 and other diseases. Major Colin Harding CMG. formerly Commanding the Mashonaland Native Police relieved Coryndon as Resident Commissioner

Resident Commissioner

Resident Commissioner is the title of several, quite different types of Commissioner in overseas possession or protectorate of the British Crown or of the United States.-British English:...

 in late 1899 at about the time the Barotseland/North-Western Rhodesia Order in Council was issued. On Coryndon's return from leave, now as Administrator of the new territory, Harding was appointed commandant of the Barotse

Lozi people

The Lozi people are an ethnic group primarily of western Zambia, inhabiting the region of Barotseland. Lozi are also found in Namibia , Angola and Botswana.-Name:...

 Native Police, recruiting and training for which, he had already put in hand in between extensive patrols up the Zambezi and into Angola to ascertain the true limits of Lewanika's sphere of influence

Sphere of influence

In the field of international relations, a sphere of influence is a spatial region or conceptual division over which a state or organization has significant cultural, economic, military or political influence....

.

Harding oversaw the departure of the remnants of the BSAP from Monze and patrolled along the Zambezi and Kafue until he was familiar with the whole Territory. In 1901 a fort was built at Kasempa from which patrols went out after slavers. By 1902 THE BAROTSE NATIVE POLICE comprised 9 European Officers & NCOs and 240 native police

In May 1904 Edward Davies, foreman at a quarry near Kalomo, the Administrative Headquarters of the territory, got drunk and fired at African workers, mortally wounding one. Davies was still drunk when arrested by RSM TOULSON and Sergeant LETHBRIDGE. On 8 July Davies was convicted of Manslaughter and sentenced to two years imprisonment having pleaded self defence

Self-defense

Self-defense, self-defence or private defense is a countermeasure that involves defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in times of danger is available in many...

. For such cases a JUDGE came up from Southern Rhodesia but NORTH-WESTERN RHODESIA had its own Magistrate, HARRY RANGELY, who held court at KALOMO and at the OLD DRIFT near Victoria Falls.

In April 1904 the Railway reached Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls

The Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya is a waterfall located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe.-Introduction:...

 and a year later the FALLS BRIDGE was completed over the ZAMBEZI. The OLD DRIFT became redundant as the landing place for imports. The settlers there moved up to the new township of Livingstone. Constable FOLEY became gaoler. Magistrates Clerk and Sanitary Superintendent at Livingstone with Sergeant BURDETT responsible for police work at the Falls and Process serving

Service of process

Service of process is the procedure employed to give legal notice to a person of a court or administrative body's exercise of its jurisdiction over that person so as to enable that person to respond to the proceeding before the court, body or other tribunal...

 throughout the Territory. In September 1905 Constable Cathcart arrived at Kalomo for civil police duties, to act as Magistrate's Clerk and superintend sanitation. These three were members of the NORTH-WESTERN RHODESIA CCONSTABULARY under the JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT and not part of the Barotse Native Police which was a military force

Military

A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...

 responsible for Internal Security and to deal with incursions by slavers and hostile tribes from across the borders.

The collection of hut tax commenced in 1904. The Barotse Native Police were called upon to support civil officials in its collection. Harding fell out with the Administration by raising with the High Commissioner in South Africa the question of hut burning to encourage payment. Harding resigned in 1906 and his Second-in-Command

Second-in-command

The Second-in-Command is the deputy commander of any British Army or Royal Marines unit, from battalion or regiment downwards. He or she is thus the equivalent of an Executive Officer in the United States Army...

, Major Carden became Commandant.

In the year ending 12 July 1907 thirty one Whites, three Asians and eightyeight Africans appeared before the MAGISTRATE at Livingstone, Kafue and Kalomo. A gaol had been built at LIVINGSTONE to accommodate four Europeans and twenty Africans. The magistrate at Kasempa only had to try four cases, all of Witchcraft

Witchcraft

Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...

. Africans from Nyasaland and he West Coast of Africa were blamed for Thefts in Towns and there was said to be a rough White element which required constant supervision. The Headquarters of the Government and Barotse Native Police moved to Livingstone and the Barotse Native Police absorbed into the Constabulary.

By 1910 the railway was complete through to the Congo

Congo Basin

The Congo Basin is the sedimentary basin that is the drainage of the Congo River of west equatorial Africa. The basin begins in the highlands of the East African Rift system with input from the Chambeshi River, the Uele and Ubangi Rivers in the upper reaches and the Lualaba River draining wetlands...

. Mining was in operation at Broken HILL (Kabwe) & Kansanshi but the far North-West was troublesome. In the Kasempa District three Africans shot a prospector in the back through the window of his house. The murderers fled into the virtual No-man’s-land on the border of Mozambique. The offer of a £20 reward led to their location. One of the accused confessed to the previous murder of an African. ALL three were Tried and hanged. Two chiefs were sentenced to imprisonment for failing to give information.

By an Order in Council of 4 May 1911 Barotseland/North-Western Rhodesia & North-Eastern Rhodesia were amalgamated as one territory, Northern Rhodesia, still administered by the BSA Company. Consequently the NORTH-EASTERN RHODESIA CONSTABULARY & BAROTSE NATIVE POLICE were amalgamated as the NORTHERN RHODESIA POLICE. Major F A Hodson, the original Adjutant of the Barotse Native Police, soon succeeded Lt Col

Lieutenant colonel

Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...

 Carden as Commandant of the new Force.

In 1913 Colonel Edwards, a regular cavalry officer who had served with Baden Powell's South African Constabulary

South African Police Service

The South African Police Service is the national police force of the Republic of South Africa. Its 1116 police stations in South Africa are divided according to the provincial borders, and a Provincial Commissioner is appointed in each province...

 and for the past six years as a chief constable

Chief Constable

Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...

 in the London Metropolitan Police

Metropolitan Police Service

The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...

 was appointed Chief Commandant of Police & Volunteers for both Rhodesias. He reorganised the Northern Rhodesia Police so that in 1914 it consisted of;-
THE MILITARY BRANCH with a hundred men at Livingstone & four other companies of roughly 80 MEN at MONGU, KASEMPA, KASAMA & fort Jameson
The district police, Parties of about 10 African police under the native Commissioner at each government station or Boma
The town police 10 or 12 British sergeants and constables & 328 AFRICAN police STATIONED at the township

Township

The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...

s on the line of rail & at Kansanshi & the criminal investigation department & fingerprint bureau under Regimental Sergeant-Major

Regimental Sergeant Major

Regimental Sergeant Major is an appointment held by warrant officers class 1 in the British Army, the British Royal Marines and in the armies of many Commonwealth nations, including Australia and New Zealand; and by chief warrant officers in the Canadian Forces...

 Ferguson who attended a six week fingerprint course at Scotland Yard

Scotland Yard

Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...

 while on leave. In July 1914 he was joined by Detective Sergeant

Sergeant

Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....

 Kirk from Southern Rhodesia and they were assisted by 5 African detectives and a clerk.

By 1914 there were Town Police detachments at Livingstone, NDOLA, SOLWEZI, FORT JAMESON, MUMBWA, & BROKEN HILL, Lieutenant Percy Sillitoe

Percy Sillitoe

Sir Percy Joseph Sillitoe KBE was Director General of MI5, the United Kingdom's internal security service, from 1946 to 1953...

 in charge at Lusaka was the only commissioned officer

Officer (armed forces)

An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...

 employed on civil police duty. 200 BOERS

Boer

Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...

 had settled in the area in 1911 and there was concern about their ability to maintain themselves without breaking the Law. Lusaka itself was little more than a cluster of huts. Much of the work of the CID concerned immigration. At the outbreak of war they investigated 62 enemy alien

Enemy alien

In law, an enemy alien is a citizen of a country which is in a state of conflict with the land in which he or she is located. Usually, but not always, the countries are in a state of declared war.-United Kingdom:...

s among a white population of about 2,250. Nine were sent to South Africa for internment.

Northern Rhodesia Police 1914 to 1918

Northern Rhodesia had two fronts to defend. On 9 August 3 officers and 80 men left Livingstone for Kasama to guard against invasion from German East Africa. The BSAP sent a detachment to guard the Falls Bridge. On 22 September a combined force of BSAP and NRP occupied the German post at Schuckmannsburg in the Caprivi Strip. The District Police were gradually absorbed into the Military. Sillitoe left for the North never to return. Twenty years later as Chief Constable of Glasgow he was to introduce the chequered cap band now worn by Police throughout Great Britain.

In the North German attacks on Abercorn and Fife were repulsed. The NRP with more than a hundred miles of border to defend were reinforced by Belgian led Congolese troops and a company of White volunteers of the Northern Rhodesia Rifles. In mid 1915 the Germans transported reinforcements down Lake Tanganyika

Lake Tanganyika

Lake Tanganyika is an African Great Lake. It is estimated to be the second largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, and the second deepest, after Lake Baikal in Siberia; it is also the world's longest freshwater lake...

 to break through at Saisi were again repulsed by the NRP and Belgian garrison. At the same time the surrender of German South-West Africa removed the threat from the Caprivi Strip freeing the remainder of the Military Branch of the NRP for service in the North where two newly raised companies of BSAP replaced the Belgians. By March 1916 the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 had destroyed the German Fleet

German Navy

The German Navy is the navy of Germany and is part of the unified Bundeswehr .The German Navy traces its roots back to the Imperial Fleet of the revolutionary era of 1848 – 52 and more directly to the Prussian Navy, which later evolved into the Northern German Federal Navy...

 on Lake Tanganyika. In May 1916 all five NRP companies crossed into German East Africa. Combined with the two BSAP companies in what was misnamed the Southern Rhodesia Column under Lieutenant Colonel R E Murray DCM BSAP they played a full part in driving the enemy out of Tanganyika. In December 1917 the NRP troops in the Field were reorganised into four double companies as the Northern Rhodesia Police Service Battalion. Meanwhile the CID & Town Police had kept on with their work back home. They obtained nearly twice as many convictions in 1917 as in 1914.

In 1918 the Service Battalion joined the chase of the German forces through Mozambique. When they doubled back into Tanganyika the NRP engaged them at Fusi and repulsed an attack on Fife after which 'B' Company accompanied a King's African Rifles battalion which took up the chase back through Northern Rhodesia to Kasama where news of the Armistice was received. The Service Battalion was present at the formal surrender of the German forces at Abercorn on 25 November 1918.

The end of the war saw disturbances in the FIFE DISTRICT caused by WATCHTOWER preaching. The Service Battalion was well positioned to give assistance. Largely due to the work of DETECTIVE ROBERT SIMPELWE 138 persons were arrested leading to convictions in the High Court at Kasama. The CID obtained a warrant under wartime regulations to censor mail and telegrams. A Nyasa telegraphist at NDOLA was identified as spreading Watchtower propaganda.

In 1919 A 16 year old White youth shot an African on a farm in the LUSAKA District. He was convicted of Manslaughter and sentenced to 8 STROKES of the Cane. Consequently under the REFORMATORIES & PRISONS

Prison

A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...

 & JUVENILE OFFENDERS PROCLAMATION OF 1921 arrangements were made for such offenders to be sent to suitable institutions outside Northern Rhodesia.

Colonel Hodson retired in 1919 and his Second In Command, Lt Col H M Stennett DSO, became Commandant. In 1922 Major General

Major General

Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...

 Sir Alfred Edwards KBE CB CVO stood down as Commandant General of Rhodesian Forces and was not replaced. Chief command of all police and military forces

Armed forces

The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...

 in the Territory now rested with the Commandant of the NRP.

IN 1923 an African Post Office

Post office

A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...

 foreman at Lusaka was sentenced to nine months imprisonment for Larceny by Public Servant

Civil service

The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....

 for the theft of four postal orders to the value of £1.2s 3d. The POs were traced to a mail order

Mail order

Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...

 firm in Bristol, England

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

, where the assistance of the local CID was obtained.

On 1 April 1924 the Administration of Northern Rhodesia became the direct responsibility of THE COLONIAL OFFICE. The NRP then consisted of:-
HEADQUARTERS five officers and four British Other Ranks

Other Ranks

Other Ranks in the British Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force are those personnel who are not commissioned officers. In the Royal Navy, these personnel are called ratings...

MILITARY BRANCH- ten Officers, 5 British NCOs and 459 Africans.
TOWN & DISTRICT POLICE- 2 Officers, 19 British NCOs and constables and 133 African other ranks
CID - One officer, 3 British NCOs and 21 African detectives.
Col H M Stennett CBE DSO was succeeded as Commandant by Lt Col Arthur Stephenson CMG DSO MC. Although he had no previous police experience, Col Stephenson was no stranger to Northern Rhodesia having worked in the postal service and later as a labour recruiter prior to 1914.

In May 1926 one hundred men of the Military Branch converged on Serenje to deal with unrest caused by the activities of TOM NYRENDA, MWANALESA, 'The Son of God', A Nyasalander who had worked in the Belgian Congo and at Broken Hill where he was imprisoned for Unlawful Carnal Knowledge of a 13 year old girl. On his release Tom was baptised by a Watchtower preacher and set himself up as a witch finder. He was convicted of 32 murders, and with two accomplices, one a chief, hanged. 15 other disciples were convicted of murder but their sentences commuted to life imprisonment. Nyrenda was thought to have been responsible for 192 murders in Northern Rhodesia and the Congo.

In 1927 prosecutions rose by 30 per cent due to the development of the Territory and the opening of new police stations. 10 Whites were prosecuted for Manslaughter and 65 for other offences. 20 Africans were prosecuted for murder or manslaughter. In 1928 the First Road Traffic Ordinance came into effect.

Colonel Stephenson retired from the Force in 1930 but continued to serve the Territory as an elected member of the Legislative Council

MLC

-Technology:*Multi-level cell, a type of flash memory*Multi-Platform Language for Calculators*Multileaf collimator, a tool used for shaping radiation beams in external-beam radiotherapy.*Mobile Location Center, a network element in GSM Telephony Networks...

 from 1935 and back in uniform as Commander of Northern Rhodesia Area in World War 2

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Lt Col E G Dickinson MC, who had commanded the Service Battalion in 1918, was the last Commandant before the Military & Civil Police were divided into SEPARATE FORCES On 1 April 1932. The Military became the Northern Rhodesia Regiment. The establishment of the new Northern Rhodesia Police was for seven officers, 35 members of the inspectorate, 40 British constables, 494 uniformed African police and 42 African detectives, all under Captain P R Wardroper MBE as Commissioner of Police.

In May 1935 an increase in the annual tax led to unrest among African mineworkers on the Copperbelt. On 29 May a large mob made repeated attacks on the compound office at Roan Antelope

Roan Antelope

The Roan Antelope is a savanna antelope found in West, Central, East Africa and Southern Africa.Roan Antelope stand about a metre and half at the shoulder and weigh around 250 kilograms. Named for the "roan' colour , they have a lighter underbelly, white eyebrows and cheeks and a black face,...

 which was guarded by less than thirty African police, a number of whom were injured despite wearing miners' helmets as protection against stone throwing. Superintendent Fold was beset by rioters at the rear of the building. The thin line of police in front finally gave way. Inspector Maxwell was hit on the head. While he was seeking permission from Fold to issue ammunition, the African police, in fear for their, lives helped themselves from the box in the office and opened fire. A total of forty rounds were fired and seven rioters killed and 20 wounded before the officers regained control and ordered the men to cease fire

Ceasefire

A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces...

. There was then a stand off until troops of the Northern Rhodesia Regiment arrived, having been flown from Lusaka and order was fully restored.

In 1935 Captain Wardroper moved his office to Lusaka, the new capital. In 1936 he retired as Commissioner after 21 years in the Force and was succeeded by his deputy, Harry Hart who had joined the NRP as a constable in 1919 after War Service in the Royal Artillery

Royal Artillery

The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...

. In 1937 Detective Constable Ladell investigating a burglary at Victoria Falls took plaster casts of footprints, a recent development in police practice. Ladell followed a spoor for six miles and arrested the two criminals concerned within 24 hours of the commission of the offence. Ladell was promoted Assistant Inspector Grade II at the end of 1937 when the rank of British Constable was abolished. In October 1938 a Photographic Bureau was established at CID HQ. While on leave Ladell and Assistant Inspector Read attended a forensic science

Forensics

Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action...

 course at the Home Office

Home Office

The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...

 Laboratory at Nottingham.

Northern Rhodesia Police 1939 to 1945

When war broke out in 1939 the Force comprised 8 gazetted officers, 88 inspectors, 542 African police and 32 African detectives. Assistant Inspector F H Letchworth died of Blackwater fever while guarding the bridge across the Luangwa, having refused to leave his post until relieved. During the War murders averaged 40 a year. An increase in breaking into African housing was put down to the rising cost of living

Cost-of-living index

Cost of living is the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living. Changes in the cost of living over time are often operationalized in a cost of living index. Cost of living calculations are also used to compare the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living in different geographic areas...

 and shortages in the supply of blankets, cooking pots, food and clothing. One European police Officer

Police officer

A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...

 was imprisoned for desertion. He had left to join the armed forces. On release from prison he was directed under the EMERGENCY POWERS REGULATIONS to work on the mines. Only 10 of his colleagues were released for military service most of whom were employed in the policing of occupied enemy territory in the Horn of Africa

Horn of Africa

The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...

.

In March 1940 a strike by European mineworkers was followed by a walk out by their African co-workers. Since 1935 police detachments of the Copperbelt had been strengthened and steel helmets, wicker shields and tear gas made available. Nevertheless the available strength was insufficient to repel an attack on the compound offices at Nkhana where troops were almost overrun and shot 17 rioters dead. before police reinforcements arrived.

By April 1946 post war recruiting had brought the Force up to a strength of 19 gazetted officers, 83 members of the inspectorate and 793 African police. Mr Hart was succeeded as Commissioner by Colonel J E Workman transferred in from Fiji. In 1949 a Mobile Unit was formed at Bwana Mkubwa to form a reserve to deal with riots and internal disturbances. The Unit originally consisted of 100 NCOs and constables rotated from normal station duties; a system of direct recruitment of Africans without the necessary educational qualifications for general police duty was later implemented.

In 1951 Colonel J P I FFORDE took over as Commissioner of Police

Police commissioner

Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...

. Fforde had risen from constable to Assistant Inspector-General

Inspector General

An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...

 CID in the Palestine Police before becoming Commissioner in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...

. He found a force of 47 gazetted officers, 200 inspectors and 1,720 African police in four divisions, manning 32 stations and posts. Fforde was to oversee further expansion. A mounted branch was instituted at Lusaka and the Northern Rhodesia Police Reserve formed from European and African civilians to work part time

Part time

A part-time job is a form of employment that carries fewer hours per week than a full-time job. Workers are considered to be part time if they commonly work fewer than 30 or 35 hours per week...

 in support of the regular force.

On 24 October 1953 Northern Rhodesia became part of the ill-fated FEDERATION of RHODESIA & NYASALAND but the police and courts remained under the Northern Rhodesia Government, Three Platoons of the Northern Rhodesia Police Mobile Unit were sent to Nyasaland on 22 July to assist the Nyasaland Police in dealing with disturbances. On 1 February 1954 a detachment from the Training Depot at Livingstone was sent to Wankie in Southern Rhodesia to assist the BSAP during a strike by mineworkers. In 1955 the Depot closed and a new Police Training School was opened at Lilayi near Lusaka. The first regular women police were recruited.

In January 1955 Harry Nkumbula

Harry Nkumbula

Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula was a Northern Rhodesian/Zambian nationalist leader who assisted in the struggle for the independence of Northern Rhodesia from British colonialism. He was born in the village of Maala in the Namwala district of Zambia's southern province...

, President of the Northern Rhodesia AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS, and KENNETH KAUNDA, the Secretary General, were each sentenced to two months imprisonment for possession of prohibited literature supplied by the Communist Party of Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 and other bodies.

That same month a flat was broken into in Kitwe. An impression of the ball of a foot was found on the kitchen windowsill and lifted. Foot impressions were taken from 60 Africans employed locally and the burglar thus identified. He was put on an identification parade and recognised by a miner who had accosted him carrying a bundle on the morning of the crime and from whom he had run away. Northern Rhodesia Police Standing Orders required all identification parades to be photographed, some thirty years before The Code of Practice for The Identification Of Persons Suspected Of Offences, made under The Police & Criminal Evidence Act 1984 required a similar procedure in England & Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...

.

An African set fire to two huts and wounded a boy with an arrow. An African constable sent to arrest him found the man had acquired a muzzle loading

Muzzleloader

A muzzleloader is any firearm into which the projectile and usually the propellant charge is loaded from the muzzle of the gun . This is distinct from the more popular modern designs of breech-loading firearms...

 gun. Though unarmed the constable gave chase only to be SHOT and seriously wounded. The accused successfully hid in the Bush for many weeks until one morning he was found outside KALULUSHI Police Station

Police station

A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...

, sitting at the base of the flagpole with his arms clasped round it. This was probably the last instance of an offender giving himself up in this way which since the Early Days had been thought to give protection to an offender. Since it removed all question of force being necessary to effect an arrest the belief cannot be said to have been unfounded.

26 July 1956 saw the first of a series of strikes by African mineworkers on the Copperbelt, accompanied by violence and intimidation. When railway workers joined in and a General Strike

General strike

A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...

 was threatened a State of Emergency

State of emergency

A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...

 was declared in the Western Province. 77 activists were detained. Troops were called out and detachments of the BSAP and Nyasaland Police arrived to assist in the restoration of order which was complete by 24 September.

In Barotseland towards the end of 1956 two missing African women were found shot in the back. Two brothers were arrested and stated that they had been hired by the deceased's relatives to carry out the killings as the women were believed to be WITCHES

Witchcraft

Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...

 responsible for deaths in their villages. Witchcraft paraphernalia was found in the accused's dwellings and a KALALOZI GUN recovered. Such guns had originally been made of bone. A miloyi or witchdoctor would point his gun at the Sun and later at his victim who was supposed to die that night leaving no trace of the cause of death. In later years a metal barreled model was preferred. After six months of investigations sixteen persons had been convicted or were awaiting trial for a total of eight murders. Eighteen had been convicted or were awaiting trial for Attempted Murder

Attempted murder

Attempted murder is a crime in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-Today:In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful killing and at the same time having a specific intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace...

 or Conspiracy to Murder 120 had been convicted of offences against the Witchcraft, Arms & Ammunition and Inquest Ordinances

At NDOLA in 1958 a beer hall

Beer hall

A beer hall is a large pub that specializes in beer. Bavaria's capital Munich is the city most associated with beer halls; almost every brewery in Munich operates a beer hall...

 and an African owned tearoom were set on fire, other buildings damaged, motor vehicle

Motor vehicle

A motor vehicle or road vehicle is a self-propelled wheeled vehicle that does not operate on rails, such as trains or trolleys. The vehicle propulsion is provided by an engine or motor, usually by an internal combustion engine, or an electric motor, or some combination of the two, such as hybrid...

s attacked and the Police stoned. One rioter was shot dead by Police and 4 wounded. 28 persons mostly members of African National Congress

African National Congress

The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...

 were convicted of offences connected with rioting. An order was made under The RIOT DAMAGE ORDINANCE introduced in 1955. The levy imposed on the inhabitants of the area was collected without incident.

KAUNDA

Kenneth Kaunda

Kenneth David Kaunda, known as KK, served as the first President of Zambia, from 1964 to 1991.-Early life:Kaunda was the youngest of eight children. He was born at Lubwa Mission in Chinsali, Northern Province of Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia...

 split with NKUMBULA and formed a rival ZAMBIA AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS. The ZANC was determined to make a mockery of pending Legislative Council ELECTIONS, despite an extended Franchise. On 11 March 1959 The Governor used THE EMERGENCY POWERS ORDINANCE to issue the Safeguard of Elections & Public Safety Regulations 1959. Before Dawn on 12 March KAUNDA and 55 of his followers were arrested by police in OPERATION 'LONGJUMP'. The elections passed off quietly and Harry Nkumbula and five other Africans became members of The Legislative Council. The long term results were more in Kaunda's favour. ZANC had been banned but was soon to rise again as the United National Independence Party

United National Independence Party

The United National Independence Party is a political party in Zambia. It governed that country from 1964 to 1991 under the presidency of Kenneth Kaunda....

. Kaunda and other leader, rusticated, but well supplied with money, were able to spread the Nationalist word in areas selected by the Government for their previous lack of political awareness. By July the release of those subject to Restriction Orders was well in hand but in June Kaunda was sentenced to nine months imprisonment for Conspiring To Effect an Unlawful Purpose and Convening an Unlawful Assembly

Unlawful assembly

Unlawful assembly is a legal term to describe a group of people with the mutual intent of deliberate disturbance of the peace. If the group are about to start the act of disturbance, it is termed a rout; if the disturbance is commenced, it is then termed a riot.- Section 144 :Section 144 is a...

 but was released on 9 January 1960.

Uncertainty following the tour of the Territory by The MONCKTON COMMISSION of Inquiry into the future of the Federation and the visit of the Secretary Of State For The Colonies, Iain Macleod

Iain Macleod

Iain Norman Macleod was a British Conservative Party politician and government minister.-Early life:...

, led to an increase in politically motivated violence

Terrorism

Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...

 and intimidation. At Ndola on 8 May 1960 police dispersed an unauthorised public meeting and made 127 arrests in dealing with subsequent disorder. Mrs Lillian BURTON was driving her daughters home when she was forced to stop by a mob. The windows of her car were smashed and petrol splashed over her and ignited. Her spaniel was burnt alive but Mrs Burton and her daughters, aged 12 and 5, escaped from the car to be brutally assaulted. They were found by a Forest Ranger and taken to hospital where Mrs Burton died. The officer leading the investigation recorded 'Never during my twenty-seven years police career in Africa have I experienced such profound fear as prevailed in witnesses' minds during this investigation'. One witness was found in Southern Rhodesia and an aircraft of the Police Reserve Flight used to intercept a bus on the Tanganyika border. 22 witnesses with their families were housed under police guard. 400 statements were recorded and cross checked. At 3am on 28 May, fourteen suspects were arrested in a concerted operation. Identification parades were held at which the witnesses were hooded. disproving an alibi required a visit to The Congo and the co-operation of the Katanga Police. Four men were charged with murder. For the re-assurance of witnesses the Preliminary Inquiry was adjourned to Solwezi 300 miles away, requiring a major logistic and security operation. On 17 August the trial opened at Ndola before Mr Justice

Judiciary of England and Wales

There are various levels of judiciary in England and Wales — different types of courts have different styles of judges. They also form a strict hierarchy of importance, in line with the order of the courts in which they sit, so that judges of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales are generally...

 SOMERHOUGH and four assessors. All four accused were legally represented. On 26 September after 11,605 pages of evidence had been recorded from 61 witnesses, Prosecuting Counsel had to withdraw through illness. Before he could be replaced, Mr Justice SOMERHOUGH died. A new trial opened on 8 November. Due to the situation in The Congo the attendance of five witnesses from Katanga could not be secured but statutory provisions enabled their evidence recorded at the aborted trial to be placed before the Court. All four accused were convicted. In July 1961 their appeals to The Federal Supreme Court were dismissed. Their petitions to Appeal to The Privy Council

Privy council

A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...

 were rejected and they were hanged.

In August 1961 J Mennen Williams

G. Mennen Williams

Gerhard Mennen "Soapy" Williams, , was a politician from the US state of Michigan. An heir to a personal grooming products fortune, he was known as "Soapy," and wore a trademark green bow tie with white polka dots....

, President John F Kennedy's Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs

Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs

The Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs is the head of the Bureau of African Affairs within the American Department of State, who guides operation of the U.S. diplomatic establishment in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa and advises the Secretary of State and the Under Secretary...

 visited Northern Rhodesia. The Governor, Sir Evelyn HONE, was at LUSAKA airport to bid him farewell when a European resident left the Airport Bar, strode across the tarmac and punched the American. Williams was back in America when the case came up in Lusaka Magistrate's Court. The Governor, as The Queen's Representative, was constitutionally disqualified from giving evidence, but his ADC, Senior Inspector Hawkins, was under no such disability. The accused was convicted and fined £50, then a substantial sum.

Discontent over a new constitution led to UNIP inspired disturbances centred on the Northern and Luapula provinces where schools and bridges were destroyed and 27 people killed. 2,691 persons were convicted of as a result of this disorder.

In December 1962 Mr Fforde left on retirement. His successor was Eric HALSE OBE KPM who had joined the NRP as a constable in 1931 and transferred to the British Somaliland

British Somaliland

British Somaliland was a British protectorate in the northern part of present-day Somalia. For much of its existence, British Somaliland was bordered by French Somaliland, Ethiopia, and Italian Somaliland. From 1940 to 1941, it was occupied by the Italians and was part of Italian East Africa...

 Police becoming Commissioner of Police there until returning to the NRP as Fforde's Deputy Commissioner

Deputy Commissioner

A deputy commissioner is a police or administrative official in many different countries.-Australia:In all Australian police forces, deputy commissioner is the rank directly below that of commissioner and senior to the rank of assistant commissioner except in the New South Wales Police Force, where...

 in 1952. The Force now consisted of 133 gazetted officers, 788 inspectors, European and African, and 5,126 other ranks.

On 31 December 1963 Federation came to an end. Kenneth Kaunda became Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia after elections in January 1964. Accelerated promotion for Africans was facilitated by a scheme of retirement benefits for expatriates which came into effect on 1 May 1964. Mr Halse and his Deputy retired and Lawson Hicks who had joined the NRP in 1939 after service in the London Metropolitan Police became the last Commissioner of the NRP. The last months of colonial administration were marred by the worst violence the Territory had seen. ALICE LENSHINA's followers of the LUMPA CHURCH had always refused to join political parties. This led to friction with UNIP supporters. Fearful of their future under the new regime Lenshina's followers in the CHINSALI DISTRICT rose up in late June. The rising spread to the LUNDAZI DISTRICT and although Alice Lenshina

Alice Lenshina

Alice Lenshina was a Christian religious leader who founded the Lumpa Church. She was born Alice Mulenga Lubusha in the Chinsali district of the northern province of Northern Rhodesia. Alice was the name she was given at baptism, while Mulenga was her traditional African name...

surrendered on 11 August continued into October. Four members of the NRP were killed and seven wounded. Six soldiers and 185 civilians were also killed by rebels while 472 Lumpas were killed in desperate assaults on the security forces and 46 were killed by other civilians.

On 24 October 1964 NORTHERN RHODESIA became the Republic of Zambia and the Northern Rhodesia Police became the Zambia Police. Lawson Hicks, the last Commissioner of the NRP became the first Commissioner of the Zambia Police until succeeded by MICHAEL MATAKA who had joined the NRP as a constable in 1941.