Police Support Unit
| Police Support Unit | |
|---|---|
| The Police Support Unit's patch under the British South Africa Police of Rhodesia. | |
| Active | 1898 - present | 
| Country | Zimbabwe | 
| Agency | Zimbabwe Republic Police | 
| Type | Paramilitary | 
| Common name | Black Boots | 
| Abbreviation | PSU | 
| 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. 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.