Police Force and Prisons Service Commission

Summary

The Police Force and Prisons Service Commission (PFPSC) is Tanzania's constitutional personnel and disciplinary commission for the police and prisons services, established under Article 36 of the 1977 Constitution and given statutory form by Act No. 8 of 1990. The Commission exercises final binding disciplinary authority delegated from the President over police officers of rank Assistant Inspector through Assistant Commissioner, and equivalently over prisons officers; discipline over more senior officers remains with the President. The Commission also handles appointments, confirmations, promotions, and appeals from lower disciplinary authorities, including the Inspector-General of Police and the Principal Commissioner of Prisons. Members serve three-year terms and are appointed by the President. The Commission is a personnel/HR body and does not independently investigate use-of-force incidents or receive public complaints; it acts on internally referred disciplinary matters. Its statute does not mandate civilian composition.