Mugabe police quitting?

obert Mugabe's police force, one of the mainstays of his power base in Zimbabwe, may be turning against him. Today, 10 senior police officers - seven superintendents and three inspectors - went into hiding after being suspected of arming the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) with tear gas grenades.

The tear gas was allegedly used by MDC activists during the recent violent protests that rocked Harare. Mugabe's dreaded spy agency, the Criminal Investigation Organisation (CIO), has launched a probe into how the tear-gas "found its way into the wrong hands."

The 10 officers under suspicion were expected to report for duty at 8am today at stations in central Harare, Marimba and Highfield, but failed to appear. All are known to have access to the police armoury...