Crime wave continues unabated

Yoliswa Dube
A DISTURBING crime wave is sweeping across cities and towns in the country unabated with hapless residents losing household property and other valuables to criminals on an almost daily basis. Cases of break-ins, theft and robberies sometimes coupled with rape are reported regularly. Daring thieves at times target police stations raising questions on the competence of the police to tackle crime in cities.

It appears nothing will stop this crime wave, not even the risk of long prison sentences and poor prison conditions. Residents are sceptical on the measures of safety in cities and towns which they feel have increasingly become a contentious issue as incidents of crime continue to escalate. Recently, a 24-year-old Bulawayo man was sentenced to 41 years after he was convicted of five counts of rape, robbery and indecent assault.

On a single day Qondani Ncube secretly used his employer’s car as a pirate taxi and picked unsuspecting women whom he later raped and robbed, together with an accomplice who is still at large. Residents of Emganwini suburb in Bulawayo are also living in terror of a six-man axe-wielding gang, dubbed the “monkey face robbers”.

Just last week, the masked gang unleashed terror on the residents, breaking into scores of houses, stealing mainly electrical gadgets. The daring criminals, who wear woollen balaclavas and paint their faces, use axes to break down doors as terrified residents scream inside.

A man who fell victim to the gang two weeks ago, said they took away his laptop and forced him to run home naked. “I got off a kombi towards midnight near Emganwini Spar. As I walked home, a group of about six ferocious looking people wearing monkey face hats emerged from the darkness. “They asked me to strip and took my clothes and a bag containing a laptop. They then ordered me to run home or they would kill me,” said the man who preferred anonymity.

The gang has been operating in the area since December last year. It is said the gang targets the homes of widows, the elderly and households where the fathers work out of town. They use a pick up vehicle with no registration number plates to ferry the stolen goods. This spate of crime in cities has left many worried about their safety and concerned by the competency of the police in dealing with such crimes.

Melusi Tshuma from Makokoba suburb said he now keeps dogs as a deterrent to would-be night prowlers. “I sleep better at night knowing I have dogs to protect me. I don’t anticipate that the dogs bite anyone but the moment there are intruders in my yard, the dogs bark and the noise wakes me up. Upon waking up, I switch on the lights. The thieves can no longer proceed because of the visible movement so they run away,” said Tshuma.

This method has worked for him effectively over the years. Tshuma suspects the police are involved in the commission of some of the crimes. “They know all the thieves out there. When a robbery or theft occurs, there is a police officer somewhere who is in the deal. How then can we trust the police to take care of us if they’re the masterminds behind the crimes?” he quizzed.

Tshuma alleged that the police are failing to execute their duties due to a conflict of interest. “The police may want to deny it but it’s because of their partnership with thieves that they sometimes fail us as residents,” said Tshuma. Police response to crime has also been under the spotlight with most residents complaining that they take long to attend to crime scenes.

Residents said police cited lack of resources as the reason behind their delays in attending to crime scenes. Some residents have resorted to forming Neighbourhood Watch Committees to help them fight crime, especially at night.

“We’ve tried to form neighbourhood watch groups but they’ve not always been efficient. People are also scared to patrol at night because they’re not adequately armed. I think at the end of the day, the most important thing anyone can do to curb crime can only be at individual level. Families have to improve security at their homes wherever they can. Fitting burglar bars and ensuring doors and windows are securely closed at all times is important,” said Judith Shoko from Sunnyside suburb.

Criminals have also become sophisticated in their operations. While some operate as gangs others operate individually using different strategies like pirating and robbing their “passengers”. There is another brand of a criminal on the loose — the “fisherman” — where thieves use a wire to fish out things through windows. This method of stealing happens mostly at night when the occupants of the house are asleep or during the day when they are all out.

The more forceful and daring of the criminals often prefer breaking down doors or door glasses in order to gain entry. Residents believe the criminals who prefer breaking down doors or windows mostly employ magic or juju to lull their victims to sleep first before pouncing on them. They claim the criminals at times spray them with gases to keep them asleep.

Such criminals even have the audacity to prepare meals at times before looting goods. Police, however, dismissed the magic/juju or gas spraying claims. The break-ins, they said, were purely a result of deep sleep on the part of the victims. “There comes a time during the night when people enter into a deep sleep where it’s possible not to hear any movement.

“We’ve so far not come across any evidence from a crime scene showing that a household had been sprayed with certain gases to induce deep sleep,” Bulawayo deputy police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Abednico Ncube, said. Police have been carrying out awareness campaigns in cities designed to combat crime.

They have since intensified patrols as part of the many strategies to help curb crime. “We’ve been carrying out awareness campaigns and especially targeting businesses and shops. Businesses and schools should bank their money as opposed to keeping it in safes. Parents should also desist from keeping their children’s school fees at home and pay it through the banks,” said Asst Insp Ncube.

Two schools in Cowdray Park suburb as well as several households were hit by robbers a fortnight ago. Police are encouraging people and institutions to keep their money in banks as part of their strategies to reduce theft crimes. “A number of unlawful entries have been reported both in institutions and households. When it comes to unlawful entries, thieves use bank cards to swipe open the window ledge. We urge business and residents to tighten their windows so that the window ledge doesn’t let go,” said Asst Insp Ncube.

He also urged people to react swiftly at the occurrence of any strange or suspicious noise at night. “These criminals are not coming from a distant planet. They’re from within the community. When people hear strange noises, they should call on our tollfree numbers 110, 999, 885479 or WhatsApp 0776097122. These numbers are operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If people report to the police swiftly, we’re able to patrol the area and probably even find the prowlers still within the vicinity,” said Asst Insp Ncube.

In a bid to flush out criminal elements in communities, police have intensified street searches. Code-named “Stop and search”, the exercise will have members of the public being asked to produce identification documents, once they are stopped. Turning to the alleged incompetence by police, Asst Insp Ncube said police were attending to crime scenes as soon as they received reports.

The police blamed residents for the delayed response to crime scenes. “Break-ins happen overnight and people only realise this in the morning. It’s imperative that residents make reports as soon as possible in order to shorten the time between the commission of the crime and response. It helps us do our job much better,” said Asst Insp Ncube.

He dismissed allegations that police are in partnerships with criminals making it difficult for them to execute their duties. “When we get information, we react. We don’t own the accused. People shouldn’t make accusations based on opinions,” he said. Asst Insp Ncube said a lasting solution to creating a crime-free society lies in the police and members of the public working closely together.

“Team work is the only answer to fighting crime in our cities. As police, we’ve made significant progress in combating crime as we effected a number of arrests. This is a sign that we’re doing something productive.”