The former Commander General of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique, Bernardino Rafael, said this morning in Maputo that he is leaving the police with a feeling of sadness due to the setbacks.

"I leave the police with 17 families who have lost loved ones because of the demonstrations, I leave with 77 district commands completely destroyed. I leave with a feeling of sadness because it was an achievement that took us many years to achieve," he said.

Speaking moments after the swearing-in of the new Commander General of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique, Joaquim Sive, Rafael acknowledged that it had not been possible to accomplish everything that had been required during his two terms in office.

"We did what we were able to do, perhaps with some defects and mistakes," he acknowledged, calling on the new management to "do well what we couldn't do and improve what we did with defects."

He said that the work of the police has no goals other than to respond to the challenges imposed on it over time.

"Every day crime increases, even the burning of warehouses... it's the new reality. So that's what the police do," he said.

The position of Commander General of the PRM is held by an Inspector General of Police, the highest police rank awarded to only one entity at a time. Inspectors general should not perform their duties simultaneously. Thus, the outgoing inspector inherently goes into the reserve.