adminMidlands Correspondent
MEMBERS of the public have powers to effect citizen’s arrest on police officers who demand or receive bribes from motorists at roadblocks, Deputy Officer Commanding National Traffic, Assistant Commissioner Kenny Mthombeni said. In an interview on the sidelines of a police national crime awareness campaign in Gokwe on Thursday, Asst Comm Mthombeni said corruption within the police ranks was now rife and the organisation was moving in to stop the rot.
He said members of the public should work hand in hand with the police and should exercise their right to effect a citizen’s arrest on police officers who demand bribes while on duty.
“Passengers on board a commuter omnibus or any other vehicle carrying passengers have the right to effect imminent citizen’s arrest on any police officer who they witness receiving a bribe. They should not promote corruption by folding hands while witnessing an act of crime being committed.
Imminent arrest on such corrupt officers will help us have proof of exhibits in the form of the bribe money,” he said.
Asst Comm Mthombeni said police officers on highways and those manning roadblocks at different points were not allowed to carry cash with them.
He said police officers found carrying cash would have received the money as bribes as all personal cash from a traffic police officer on duty is declared before going out for duty.
“The only cash that police officers on duty can carry with them is that from fines but that money is rarely kept in the pocket.
“Any other cash that a traffic police officer would be found in possession of while on duty would be regarded as suspicious,” said Asst Comm Mthombeni.
He said the police have anti-corruption teams who were deployed to monitor police officers on duty on the country’s highways.
“To try and curb the corruption, we also now have police anti-corruption unit teams which are deployed in all areas where roadblocks would be manned. If police officers are found with cash which is not in tandem with fine tickets they would have issued, they will be arrested,” he said.
Asst Comm Mthombeni said it was a crime for motorists to also approach police officers with bribes.
He said motorists who extend bribes to police officers manning roadblocks on highways also risk being arrested.
Meanwhile, Asst Comm Mthombeni said the country recorded a sharp increase of people who died in road accidents last year compared to the year 2011.
He said 2 094 people were killed in road accidents in 2012 compared to 1 810 who died in 2011
“The traffic branch recorded 30 911 accidents in the year 2012 compared to 32 116 road accidents in 2011 reflecting a four percent decrease.
“However, we had an increase in the number of people killed, that is 2 094 in 2012 compared to 1 810 recorded deaths in 2011,” said Asst Comm Mthombeni.
Speaking during the same occasion, the officer commanding police Midlands, Senior Assistant Commissioner Charles Makono who also bemoaned alarming levels of corruption within the police force said the organisation would not only fire corrupt officers but would also facilitate their criminal prosecution.
“What we will do to those (police officers) who would have been found to be promoting corruption within the police ranks is to send them to jail.
“We will not only fire them from the organisation but we will have to make sure that they undergo criminal prosecution.
“President Mugabe, and Commissioner-General (Augustine) Chihuri are on record denouncing all forms of corruption within the force. We have, however, heard many stories about corrupt police officers especially on our highways.
“The organisation does not condone corruption and any police officer found guilty of corruption will not only be fired from the police force but will have to go to jail and serve sentence for their corrupt activities,” he said.
Snr Asst Comm Makono urged communities to work hand in hand with the police to reduce cases of crime and corruption.
“The police and members of the public should work hand in hand as we forge a war against crime and corruption within the country,” he said.
Online Reporter