BSAPolice Flag 1949 - 1960

The British South Africa Police (BSAP) was the police force of the British South Africa Company (BSAC) of Cecil Rhodes which became the national police force of Southern Rhodesia and its successor after 1965, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Until 1899, the force also policed parts of BSAC territories north of the Zambezi River and now in Zambia. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The flag of the British South Africa Company The British South Africa Company (BSAC) was established by Cecil Rhodes through the amalgamation of the Central Search Association and the Exploring Company, Ltd. ... Cecil Rhodes Cecil John Rhodes, PC, DCL, (July 5, 1853 – March 26, 1902[1]) was a British-born South African businessman, mining magnate, and politician. ... Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated immediately to the north of South Africa, known today as Zimbabwe. ... This article is about the former British colony of Southern Rhodesia, todays Zimbabwe. ... Zambezi River in North Western Zambia The Zambezi (also spelled Zambesi) is a river in Southern Africa. ...

Officer's cap badge of the BSAP, c1965, showing the "wounded lion" device

The organisation was formed by the BSAC in 1889 as a paramilitary, mounted infantry force in order to provide protection for the Pioneer Column of settlers which moved into Mashonaland in 1890. The unit played a central role in both the First Matabele War (1893) and the Second Matabele War (1896/97). Until 1897 the force was called the British South Africa Company's Police. The BSAP operated originally in conjunction with the Southern Rhodesia Constabulary (SRC), the town police force for Salisbury (now Harare) and Bulawayo, but amalgamated with the SRC in 1909. As a paramilitary unit, the BSAP fought in the Second Boer War and in Tanganyika during World War I, while some members were seconded to the Rhodesia Native Regiment. From 1923, Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing colony of the British Empire, but the BSAP retained its title and its position as the senior regiment of the Southern Rhodesian armed forces. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... In 1889 seeking to weaken the Ndebele king Lobengulas control over the territory, Cecil Rhodes promoted white settlement in Ndebele and Shona lands and dispatched a group of colonists known as the “Pioneer Column” to the region in 1890, under military guard. ... Mashonaland is a region in northern Zimbabwe. ... Combatants United Kingdom, British South Africa Police Ndebele Commanders Cecil Rhodes, Leander Starr Jameson King Lobengula, Mjaan, chief induna Casualties fewer than 100 Over 10,000 British Artillery, ca 1900. ... Burnham & Armstrong after the assassination of Mlimo. ... Map of Zimbabwe showing the location of Harare. ... The City of Bulawayo is highlighted in this map of Zimbabwe. ... Combatants British Empire Orange Free State South African Republic Commanders Sir Redvers Buller Lord Kitchener Lord Roberts Paul Kruger Louis Botha Koos de la Rey Martinus Steyn Christiaan de Wet Casualties 6,000 - 7,000 (A further ~14,000 from disease) 6,000 - 8,000 (Unknown number from disease) Civilians... Flag of Tanganyika Tanganyika was an East African republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, named after Lake Tanganyika, which formed its western border. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ...

A Criminal Investigation Department was founded in 1923; a Women's Section in 1941, and a Dog Unit in 1945. From 1957, the Police Reserve also had an airborne wing. The years following the World War II saw the rise of African nationalism in many British African colonies. Charles Vincent, founder of the Metropolitan Police CID The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is the branch of all British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces to which plain clothes detectives belong. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

The BSAP's name remained unchanged by the Unilateral Declaration of Independence, although following the declaration of a republic by Ian Smith's government in 1970, the crown was removed from the BSAP's badge. The Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) of Rhodesia from the United Kingdom was signed on November 11, 1965 by the Smith administration, whose Rhodesian Front party[1] opposed black majority rule in the then British colony. ... Look up republic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Rt Hon Ian Smith, Prime Minister of Rhodesia, 1964 (official portrait) Ian Douglas Smith GCLM ID (born 8 April 1919) was the Premier of the British Crown Colony of Southern Rhodesia from 13 April 1964 to 11 November 1965, and Prime Minister of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) from 11 November... The British monarch or Sovereign is the monarch and head of state of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, and is the source of all executive, judicial and (as the Queen_in_Parliament) legislative power. ...

During the period of the Second Chimurenga or Bush War during the late 1960s and 1970s, the BSAP formed an important part of the white minority government's fight against black nationalist guerrillas. The force formed a riot unit; a tracker combat team (later renamed the Police Anti-Terrorist Unit or PATU); a field force type Support Unit (who were distnquished by wearing black boots), an Urban Emergency Unit, a Police Reserve Air Wing, and a Marine Division, and from 1973 offered places to white conscripts as part of Rhodesia's national service scheme. At independence, the force had a strength of approximately 11,000 regulars (about 60% black) and almost 35,000 reservists, of whom the overwhelming majority were white. Former BSAP officer Daniel Carney's book Whispering Death that was later filmed in Rhodesia depicts the BSAP in anti-terrorist operations. The Second Chimurenga was a conflict in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) between the white minority government of Ian Smith and the black nationalists of the ZANU and ZAPU movements, led by Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo respectively. ... Combatants Rhodesia ZANLA ZIPRA Government of Botswana Government of Tanzania Government of Zambia Mozambican Liberation Front [1] Commanders Ian Smith P. K. van der Byl Peter Walls ZANU: Robert Mugabe ZAPU: Joshua Nkomo Casualties unknown unknown Civilians killed = Around 30,000 The Rhodesian Bush War —­ as it was known at...

Until the late 1970s, black Rhodesians were prevented from holding ranks higher than Sub-Inspector in the BSAP, and only white Rhodesians could gain commissioned rank. After independence, the force followed an official policy of "Africanisation", in which senior white officers were retired and their positions filled by black officers.

The British South Africa Police was renamed the Zimbabwe Republic Police in July 1980 following the installation of Robert Mugabe as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe. This article needs to be wikified. ... Mugabe redirects here. ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ...

The " field force " type paramilitary Support Unit or " Black Boots " as they were known initially started as a black Askari unit in the 1960s . Later they developed into a C.O.I.N. and urban emergency paramilitary unit based at Tomlinson depot , and later Chikarubi barracks.They wore distinctive black footware , military stable belts , or normal Police issue webbing belts buffed black.The Support Unit was the most successfull " internal " operational unit during the Rhodesian war of Independance , with the highest kill rate in operational contacts.In fact they were the biggest " Infantry " unit towards the end of the Rhodesian war , capable of putting nearly three thousand men in the field.The " Unit " deployed for four to six weeks , a week R&R and five days of retraining.The " Unit " developed into a specialised force , as other specialised police and military units do around the world , due to continual re-training.In the field the Support Unit were extremely versatile , travelling with their own military tents ,medics , admin support staff , weapons and amunition , including infantry support weapons ( 60 mil mortars ).Support Unit Troops consisted of 100+ men divided into 3 sections of 30 men each.Each section had 3 patrol leaders , 3 grenadiers ( 60 mil mortars or 42 z rifle grenades )3 MAG 7.62 support weapons , medics and other specialists.Each person carried his own issue F.N. 7.62. The Support Unit travelled around utilsing their own armoured plated vehicles numbering about 8 to 12 heavy and light personal vehicles.They could react to any eventuality anywhere in Rhodesia Zimbabwe.They wore camoflage with black boots and belt , with an eagle on their left shoulder with a troop lanyard , consisting of colours of their troop , ie Echo Troop colours were orange and black.They also wore blue riot trousers and police grey shirts , when in urban situations , for example riot control or in support of police urban operations , but still displayed their identifying insignia.The Blackboots were still policeman , and they say the best soldiers are often policeman.In the change over from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe , the " Unit" played a very significant role in keeping the country as stable as possible , certainly during the Intimbani uprisings in and around Bulawayo between the various political parties....This was never really acknowledged by the general public.Koevoet ( the Green Boots ) took a lot of experience away with them back to South West Africa ( Namibia ), and continued the valuable lessons learned in C.O.I.N operations in Rhodesia.( Koevoet maintained an observer role , but often deployed with the unit and practised many vehicle manoevers with armoured vehicles , which they would later perfect in South West Africa. Block quote

References

• The Regimental Association of the British South Africa Police
• Scouting on Two Continents, by Major Frederick Russell Burnham, D.S.O. LC call number: DT775 .B8 1926. (1926)
• Radford, M., 1994. Service Before Self, privately published.
• Gibbs, P., & Phillips, H., 2000. The History of the British South Africa Police, Something of Value Publications, Victoria, Australia.
• Kent Rasmussen, R., & Rubert, S. C., 1990. Historical Dictionary of Zimbabwe, Scarecrow Press, Metuchen, N.J., USA.