HARARE (Commodity Online): Chiadzwa in Zimbabwe is notorious for its blood diamonds. Now this place has become an big attraction for the police force in the country. Till now, only illegal miners and Army have been blamed for the blood diamonds of Chiadzwa but now the country's police force also wants a piece of the diamond business.

According to media reports in Zimbabwe, police want the government to give the police force concession to do mining business in Chiadzwa diamond fields.

The police want to operate a company called Security Self-Reliance Enterprises and they have sought a concession for it.

Police commissioner-general Augustine Chihuri wrote on April 9 to mines minister Obert Mpofu asking for a mining concession for the law enforcement agency in Marange.

Wrote Chihuri: The above subject is pertinent. I make reference to my discussion in the office with you Honourable minister on the 21st of March 2010 concerning the above subject,

The involvement of the police - alongside other security agencies - would bring vast swathes of Chiadzwa under the control of companies whose mining contracts facilitated by government officials have not been secured in a transparent manner.

The international diamond watchdog - the Kimberley Process - has previously expressed concerns over human rights abuses at the diamond mine and gave Zimbabwe up to June to meet certain benchmarks - including withdrawing the army - to avoid blacklisting.

Zimbabwe's diamond fields around Chiadzwa, about 20 miles north-west of the town of Mutare in eastern Manicaland province right at the Mozambican border, have been turned into a war-zone by the Zimbabwean government.

Helicopters have been used on occasions to gun down miners, many of whom were professional people ranging from teachers to nurses, and students dropping out of school to dig up diamonds.

Zimbabwe