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REPORTS that over 180 convicted criminals sentenced to jail terms are still roaming the streets as police were struggling to arrest them for committal to prison makes sad reading and the situation demands urgent redress.
That batch includes dangerous criminals who should not be allowed to move around unpoliced because of the nature of their crimes and criminal records.
The criminals were on bail pending the outcome of their appeals, and once they lost their appeals against jail sentences should have been picked up and returned to the original trial court where the warrant of committal would be signed.
Failure to arrest the 178 convicts could be costly in the long-term since some of them might well be re-offending.
In any case it sends the wrong message. One of the reasons of imposing a prison sentence for serious offenders is to deter others. If those thinking about a criminal life reckon that they might be able to avoid a cell by jumping bail, we could be in trouble.
The need for deterrence is obvious. Over the last few months, there has been an upsurge in criminal activities countrywide, with armed robberies, car-jackings and murders topping the list.
Foreign currency dealers, businesspeople, mines and individuals who keep large sums of money have been targeted by robbers, who break into their premises demanding cash and other valuables.
Police also say machete gangs that unleashed a reign of terror at the end of last year have resurfaced, while other crimes of concern are on the increase.
It is in times like these where law enforcement agents need every tool they can get to curb the surge in crime which threatens life and property. It is no use arresting and trying people if they escape punishment.
We, however, believe the situation is redeemable and all that is required was to ensure that all hands are on the deck.
Communication breakdown between the police and the courts has been singled out as the biggest challenge in the arrest of convicts who violate bail conditions.
We therefore call on both the police and the Judicial Services Commission to improve their channels of communication to ensure that arrests are made immediately once convicts have violated their bail conditions.
Once lines of communication have improved, it becomes easy to follow on cases of convicts that may have been too long on bail.
In this day of technology, police should use its social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook page to place information on convicts who skip bail.
More often than not, the convicts move around freely within communities because not many people might know of their criminal records or activities.
Police would also need to make use of Interpol to trace convicts who skip the borders into neighbouring countries.
Many will remember how, the most notable two fugitives in the history of this country — Edgar Masendeke and Stephen Chidhumo — who terrorised the nation between 1994 and 1997 were arrested in Mozambique in 1997.
Following a series of operations by the ZRP and with the assistance from the Interpol, Masendeke was arrested while on his way to Chimoio near Susunhenga, while Chidhumo was nabbed by a team of the Mozambican police and Zimbabwe Republic Police in Beira.
There is a possibility that some of the 178 convicts that are said to be roaming around the streets of Zimbabwe could have crossed into neighbouring countries to avoid re-arrest.
Police would need resources so that they can do their job well, without having to worry about transport and other logistical requirements for them to execute their mandate.
Over the years, lack of resources has been the major challenge that has impeded police operations and efficiency. A police station might not have a vehicle to attend to a reported crime scene within the required time.
By the time they get transport, they may find suspects gone and evidence that may assist them with the case destroyed.
Once they are well-equipped, ZRP can achieve more, based on their record of competency, which has earned them accolades in peacekeeping missions across the globe.
Stakeholders would also need to plug all holes within the law enforcing system that promotes corruption.
Corruption remains the biggest challenge in curbing crime in the country. Cases are too numerous to mention of law enforcement agents who were given bribes by criminals to destroy evidence, or just fail to follow proper procedures when handling cases.
That development alone has resulted in some criminals moving around freely and even committing other crimes, while on bail.
Of the eight notorious robbers arrested in Beitbridge last week, including the most wanted criminal Musa Taj Abdul, two of the gang members — Prince Makodza and Godfrey Mupamhanga — were out on bail, having committed a series of crimes.
Prince Makodza was among six suspected armed robbers donning security forces attire who allegedly robbed a Harare businessman of over $100 000 cash at his Borrowdale house after getting inside information from his nephew in 2018.
Makodza has been in and out jail on several occasions, but successfully applied for bail at the High Court.
When he was arrested in Beitbridge, Mupamhanga was out on bail after surviving a March shoot-out which claimed three armed robbers in Eastlea, Harare. He was immediately arrested at the scene.
He skipped bail barely a week after being released, only to be rearrested along with Taj Abdul and six others last week.
Mupamhanga was freed on April 15 after it emerged that he neither had known previous convictions nor pending cases.
While it is a constitutional right for every arrested person to be granted bail unless there are overriding reasons, including the risk of absconding, we implore police and the courts to conduct background checks and meticulous verifications of the persona of the suspects before granting them bail.
If someone is found to be of questionable character, they should be given stringent conditions that suit their criminal records.
Online Reporter