Police Support Unit

Police Support Unit
The Police Support Unit's patch under the British South Africa Police of Rhodesia.
Active1898 - present
CountryZimbabwe
AgencyZimbabwe Republic Police
TypeParamilitary
Common nameBlack Boots
AbbreviationPSU
Notables
Significant operation(s)Rhodesian Bush War

The Police Support Unit, also known by their nickname of the Black Boots, is a paramilitary wing of the Zimbabwe Republic Police. They were founded as a native police force but later developed into a counter-insurgency unit of the British South Africa Police in Rhodesia during the Rhodesian Bush War.[1] The unit was the only paramilitary unit retained by the Zimbabwe Republic Police after the country's reconstitution as Zimbabwe.

The unit gained notoriety for being an effective counter-terrorist force but received criticism in the latter stages of the Bush War as well as under Zimbabwean control for utilising brutal tactics against their targets.

  1. ^ McLaughlin, Peter (2016). The Rhodesian War Fifty Years On (From UDI). Pen and Sword Military. ISBN 9781473860759.