One of the greatest impacts that the police and army had on African society was through the integration of former members—veterans—into civilian life. The fate of African veterans of armed conflict, such as World War II, became an important issue widely debated by the European and African public. African former police and soldiers seemed most interested in continuing their employment with other elements of the colonial state or in private security. As previously mentioned, a major motivation for security force service was the pension that followed retirement, as well as the potential for a better second career. Although many African former police and soldiers maintained a strong personal identification with their old service, they did not organize themselves on a large scale until official structures intervened.

Veterans of World War II

Following the East Africa campaign of World War I, the RNR was disbanded quickly in 1919 because the imperial government would no longer pay for it and Southern Rhodesia's white settlers feared armed blacks. Demobilized soldiers were given a few pounds that had been saved for them by salary deductions, and partly and fully disabled men received one-time gratuities of five and ten pounds, respectively. Black veterans, the majority of whom came from neighboring territories like Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, spread across the colony and the region, as many returned to migrant labor in the mines.