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Nqobile Tshili Chronicle Reporter
POLICE were forced to defend their tactics yesterday after a commuter omnibus fleeing a roadblock overturned as the driver swerved to avoid tyre-shredding spikes deployed by a traffic officer.
Sixteen passengers were injured, four of them seriously, in the accident along Old Khami Road in Bulawayo.
Police confirmed it was not standard practice to use a spike strip on vehicles carrying passengers, and a spokesman insisted that the spikes in yesterday’s accident were already laid out to deter motorists from ignoring police orders to stop.
But tempers boiled over as angry motorists and passersby pelted the police officers with stones, accusing them of throwing the spikes which led to the accident.
Anti-riot police were deployed to restore calm as the injured were ferried by ambulances to Mpilo Central Hospital.
Police said the commuter omnibus driver had been arrested.
Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo of Bulawayo police said: “The driver is 23-years-old and by law he is not supposed to drive a public transport vehicle. We’re going to charge him for that.
“If any of the passengers die, he will be charged with culpable homicide and negligent driving.”
Inspector Moyo said the owner of the vehicle will also be charged for letting an underage driver operate a public vehicle.
Police said the commuter omnibus was registered to ply the Gwanda-Bulawayo rote, and should not have been carrying passengers from Lobengula suburb to the city.
Inspector Moyo said the driver had been intercepted at a police roadblock at Nguboyenja flyover along Luveve Road, but he made a swift U-Turn. He drove into Old Khami Road only to find another police blockade.
“Spikes were laid on the road and when the driver tried to avoid them, he lost control of the vehicle resulting in it landing on its right side,” Insp Moyo told Chronicle.
Hlekiwe Dube, the only passenger not to go to hospital, said at the scene of the crash: “I boarded the kombi in Emakhandeni. The driver wanted to avoid the police at all costs.
“He diverted the route to Old Khami Road where he bumped into another roadblock.
“He ignored the signal to stop and swerved to avoid the police officers. At that moment, one officer threw spikes in front of the vehicle and it overturned.”
As the injured were being pulled from the wreckage, other commuter omnibus crews joined by passersby charged at the police officers, pelting them with stones.
“They can’t use spikes on public transport,” fumed Fanele Ncube.
“If they want to deal with transport operators, they should target them and leave the passengers out of it.”
Qinisile Sibanda weighed in: “Who gave them the permission to use spikes? Are spikes allowed? We want the police officer who threw the spike to be arrested.”
Another man shouted: “Police took an oath to serve and to protect. Is this how they protect innocent passengers? They just needed to take down the number plate of the vehicle instead of risking the lives of so many people.”
Sensing danger, the police officers at the crash site called for re-inforcements and within minutes the anti-riot squad arrived and quelled the commotion.
Insp Moyo said: “We are worried by the bad behaviour of commuter omnibus drivers.”
He said it was legal for police to lay spikes on the road during operations.
Spike strips, also known as stingers, are used by police forces worldwide to immobilise vehicles by puncturing tyres.
The stinger is composed of a collection of metal barbs or spikes pointing upward. Some police forces use hollow barbs which becoming embedded in the tyres and allow air to escape steadily in a bid to avoid a sudden flattening of tyres which can increase the risk of drivers crashing.
Online Reporter