The Tanzania Police Force (TPF) is the national law enforcement agency of the United Republic of Tanzania. It is responsible for maintaining law and order, protecting life and property, preventing and detecting crime, and ensuring public safety.Ministry of Home Affairs, "About the Police Force", Government of Tanzania, retrieved 2025. The Force operates under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs and is headed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP).Tanzania Police Force, "Organizational Structure", retrieved 2025.
History The origins of policing in Tanzania date back to the colonial period. During German East Africa (1880s–1919), colonial authorities established paramilitary units to enforce order.Alice Hills, Policing Africa: Internal Security and the Limits of Liberalization, Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 2000. Under the British mandate (1919–1961), a formal police service was developed, modeled on the British colonial policing system.Daily News Tanzania, "British colonial police system in Tanganyika", published 2019.
After independence in 1961, the newly formed government of Tanganyika retained the police service, later merging it with that of Zanzibar following the 1964 union to form the United Republic of Tanzania.BBC News, "Tanzania marks 50 years of Union", published 2014. Since then, the Tanzania Police Force has undergone reforms aimed at professionalization and modernization.The Citizen, "Police reforms: Tanzania adopts community policing strategy", published 2021.
Organizational structure The Force is headquartered in Dar es Salaam and is structured into various departments and specialized units, including:Tanzania Police Force, "Departments and Units", retrieved 2025.Tanzania Police Force "Muundo wa Jeshi La Polisi" The United Republic of Tanzania Ministry of Home Affairs, Tanzania Police Force, https://polisi.go.tz/muundo, Date accessed: June 4, 2026
Inspector General of the Police (IGP) Chief Internal Auditor Internal Audit Unit Deputy Commissioner of Police Communication and Public Relations Unit Deputy Commissioner of Police Legal Services Unit Deputy Commissioner of Police Internal Monitoring & Evaluation Unit Deputy Commissioner of Police Information Communication Technology Unit Director Procurement Management Unit Deputy Commissioner of Police TPF Corporation Sole Unit Commissioner of Operation and Training Police Operations Section Specialized Operations Section Traffic Management and Control Section Development and Control Section Commissioner of Criminal Investigation Offences against State Security and Public Tranquility Section Offences against Persons Section Offences against Property Section Special Investigation Support Section Financial Crimes Section Firearms Management Section Terrorism & Trans-National Organized Crime Section Interpol National Central Bureau Commissioner of the Bureau of Criminal Intelligence Criminal Intelligence Section Criminal Analysis and Dissemination Section Internal Integrity Section Commissioner of the Forensic Bureau Documentation and Forensic Cyber Crime Section Forensic Natural Science Section Commissioner of Community Policing Community Engagement Section Gender and Child Protection Section Commissioner of the Finance and Logistics Division Finance Section Account Section Quarter Master Section Planning and Budget Section Transport and Logistics Section Estate Management Section Commissioner of Human Resource Management and Administration Human Resource Management Section Administration Section Commissioner of Zanzibar Police Division Human Resource Management and Administration Section Operations and Training Section Criminal investigation Section Criminal Intelligence Section Finance and Logistics Section Community Engagement Section Forensic Bureau Section Dar es Salaam Special Police ZoneDaily News Reporter (September 4, 2025) "Police claim success in road safety campaign" The National Newspaper Daily News, 2026, https://dailynews.co.tz/police-claim-success-in-road-safety-campaign/, Date accessed: June 4, 2026 Crisis Response Team (CRT)United States Department of State (November 20, 2015). "Regional Security Office Dar es Salaam Helps Create Tanzania's First Crisis Response Team", US Department of State.
Some other units the TPF has include:
National and Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation UnitBBC News (May 9, 2016) "Who is the 'Ivory Queen'?" BBC, BBC, 2026, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-36203798, Date accessed: June 5, 2026 Field Force Unit (FFU) – riot control and crowd management.Africa Center for Strategic Studies (November 18, 2025) "What Next Following Tanzania’s “National Catastrophe”?" Africa Center for Strategic Studies, https://africacenter.org/spotlight/what-next-following-tanzanias-national-catastrophe/, Date accessed: Junev 4, 2026Reuters (July 6, 2020) "Tanzania police threaten to beat protesters "like stray dogs" to halt demos" The East African, Nation Media Group, 2026, https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/tanzania-police-threaten-to-beat-protesters-like-stray-dogs-to-halt-demos-1391948, Date accessed: June 5, 2026 Marine Police Unit – patrolling coastal and inland waters.Luka Bita and Tumaini Shabani Gurumo. The effectiveness of national maritime governance in the protection of maritime domain: A Case of United Republic of Tanzania. International Journal of Science and Research Archive, 2026, 18(03), 307–318. Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.30574/ijsra.2026.18.3.0412. Maritime Operations CenterU.S. AFRICOM Public Affairs (October 17, 2013) "Tanzanian People's Defense Force Naval Command, Police Force Maritime Receive New Communications System" United States Africa Command, https://www.africom.mil/article/11363/tanzanian-peoples-defense-force-naval-command-police-force-maritime-receive-new-communications-system, Date accessed: June 5, 2026 Special Anti-Robbery and Anti-Narcotics Units – combating organized crime.The Citizen, "Tanzania launches anti-narcotics campaign", published 2020.Africa Center for Strategic Studies (November 18, 2025) "What Next Following Tanzania’s “National Catastrophe”?" Africa Center for Strategic Studies, https://africacenter.org/spotlight/what-next-following-tanzanias-national-catastrophe/, Date accessed: Junev 4, 2026
The chain of command places the IGP at the top, supported by Commissioners, Regional Police Commanders, and District Officers.Ministry of Home Affairs, "Leadership structure", retrieved 2025.
Roles and responsibilities The main functions of the Tanzania Police Force include:Police Force and Auxiliary Services Act, CAP 322, Revised Edition 2002, Government of Tanzania. Maintaining law and order Preventing and detecting crime Regulating traffic and road safety Supporting border security operations in cooperation with other agencies Assisting in disaster response and public safety Community policing and public awareness campaignsThe Citizen, "Community policing program launched in Dar es Salaam", published 2022.
Training and recruitment Police training in Tanzania is primarily conducted at the Moshi Police Academy, along with other training schools across the country.Daily News Tanzania, "Moshi Police Academy marks 80 years", published 2021. Recruitment is carried out through the Ministry of Home Affairs, with requirements focusing on educational qualifications, physical fitness, and integrity.Ministry of Home Affairs, "Police recruitment guidelines", retrieved 2025. Continuous professional training is provided to officers to adapt to new challenges in policing.African Security Studies, "Policing and Security in Tanzania", Vol. 12, No. 3, 2019.
On May 25, 2026, Tanzania's Minister of Home Affairs, Petrobas Katambi indicated that at least one hundred and fifty-seven police officers and police personnel had been sent abroad to receive specialized training in cybercrime investigations, forensic fingerprint analysis, and examination of suspicious documents. Some of the countries they were sent to included Egypt, Turkey, India, Russia, South Korea, and Brazil.The Citizen Reporter (May 25, 2026) "Tanzania sends police officers abroad for cybercrime training" The Citizen, Nation Media Group, 2026, https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/national/tanzania-sends-police-officers-abroad-for-cybercrime-training-5472356, Date accessed: June 7, 2026
Legal framework The operations of the Tanzania Police Force are governed by the Police Force and Auxiliary Services Act (CAP 322, R.E. 2002).Police Force and Auxiliary Services Act, CAP 322, Revised Edition 2002, Government of Tanzania. The Force works under the oversight of the Ministry of Home Affairs, while accountability mechanisms include parliamentary committees, internal disciplinary systems, and external watchdogs.Amnesty International, "Tanzania: Accountability and human rights report", 2022.
Notable operations and incidents In October 2015, the Tanzania Police Force arrested Yang Fenglan for ivory smuggling. Fenglan was accused of facilitating the smuggling of ivory from east Africa to China. National and Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit tracked her for more than a year.BBC News (May 9, 2016) "Who is the 'Ivory Queen'?" BBC, BBC, 2026, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-36203798, Date accessed: June 5, 2026 On February 19, 2019, she was convicted and sentenced to fifteen years in prison.Kennedy, Merrit (February 19, 2019) "Chinese 'Ivory Queen' Sentenced To 15 Years In Jail In Tanzania" NPR, NPR, 2026, https://www.npr.org/2019/02/19/696038515/chinese-ivory-queen-sentenced-to-15-years-in-jail-in-tanzania, Date accessed: June 5, 2026 Her arrest and conviction were praised by some conservation organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund.Earth League International (October 7, 2015) "The “Queen of Ivory” arrested in Tanzania" Earth League International, earthleagueinternational.org, 2026, https://earthleagueinternational.org/2015/10/07/the-queen-of-ivory-arrested-in-tanzania/, Date accessed: June 5, 2026World Wildlife Fund (February 20, 2019) "Tanzania’s Court Sentences Chinese National Charged with Ivory Trafficking to 15 Years in Prison" World Wildlife Fund, World Wildlife Fund, https://www.wwf.mg/en/?343430/Tanzanias-Court-Sentences-Chinese-National-Charged-with-Ivory-Trafficking-to-15-Years-in-Prison, Date accessed: June 5, 2026
In October 2015, the Tanzania Police Force's National and Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit (NTSCIU) arrested Boniface Matthew Malyango, along with his brothers, Lucas Mathayo Malyango and Abdallah Ally Chaoga, in Dar es Salaam after a year-long manhunt. They were arrested while attempting to smuggle 118 tusks worth over $863,000. National and Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit indicated Maliango managed around fifteen poaching syndicates that have been operating throughout Tanzania, Burundi, Zambia, Mozambique, and southern Kenya for a number of years. He was accused of killing a large number of elephants in the past years.BBC News (March 3, 2017) "Tanzania jails notorious elephant poacher" BBC, BBC, 2026, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-39157783, Date accessed: June 6, 2026Earth League International (October 29, 2015) "“The Devil”, most wanted ivory trafficker in Tanzania, arrested" Earth League International, earthleagueinternational.org, 2026, https://earthleagueinternational.org/2015/10/29/the-devil-most-wanted-ivory-trafficker-in-tanzania-arrested/, Date accessed: June 6, 2026The Citizen (October 31, 2015) "Relief as police arrest ‘The Devil’" The Citizen, Nation Media Group, 2026, https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/national/relief-as-police-arrest-the-devil--2536808, Date accessed: June 6, 2026