The Sunday News
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
BEITBRIDGE stakeholders have raised concern over the recent wave of armed robberies that have left many people injured while others continue to lose thousands of valuable and cash to syndicate targeting mostly business owners.
At the weekend another man was robbed of R1,2 million and US$350 cash by four gunmen in the medium density suburbs.
In addition, the police are recording a minimum of two or three cases weekly around the town.
“So far, we have had a meeting with the police last week under the Business against Crime Forum (BACFOZ), where we came up with various strategies that I can’t disclose to the media, for now, to be immediately implemented.
“We looked at the causes and why the police is failing to make leads. As of this week, the police will be implementing those strategies and we hope some leads will be made,” said the Chairman of the Business Against Crime Forum, Mr Clevers Moyo.
Mr Moyo said they were also concerned with the intimate knowledge that robbers will be having have about the people they rob.
He said in most cases, they will be having every information that includes even the exact amount the victim will be having.
Beitbridge Progressive Residents and Rate Payers Development Trust (BPRRA) secretary, Mr Jabulani Makhado, said it was important for the police to seriously consider partnering residents and evoking community policing principles.
“They need to activate the police community beat patrols, cycle patrols and revamp the Neighbourhood Watch Committees and Crime Consultative Committees initiative and introduce mounted (horse) patrols,” he said.
Beitbridge East Member of Parliament, Cde Albert Nguluvhe who is also a member of the committee on Defence, Security, and Home Affairs, said, “The situation is worrisome, but I think the police needs to be capacitated, in terms of tools of their trade i.e Transport and information gathering”.
He also advised members of the community to avoid keeping large sums of money in their homes, considering that these have become a target of criminals.
The police officer commanding Beitbridge district (Dispol), Chief Superintendent Tichaona Nyongo said they had assembled a crack team that was following up on all armed robbery cases.
“We are confident that going forward the crack team will give us good results. Members of the community should not panic, we will suffocate these criminals,” he said.
