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A number of armed robberies have been reported in Bulawayo of late and indeed in other major urban centres, notably Harare, Masvingo to name just a few. It is clear that armed robbers are on the prowl in towns and cities and this calls for residents and businesspeople to be alert in order to protect lives and property. It is important that residents and businesspeople should heed the police advice. We note that residents and businesspeople continue to disregard the advice of the police not to keep or move with large sums of cash at home or business premises. It is important to bank your money and only have small amounts of cash that you need to use for perishables and other necessities.
Otherwise there is no point for people to keep large sums of cash at their houses or business premises.
Transactions involving large sums should ideally be done through bank transfers instead of cash payments. People should also take advantage of mobile transactions that are now being offered by service providers and use cards, such as ATM cards and credit cards to transact.
Those who own guns should always secure their firearms to prevent them falling into wrong hands some of whom might be criminal elements.
It is not necessary to always move around with your firearm even if it is registered but only have it on your person when you need it. There have been cases of people who rush to their cars at entertainment joints to arm themselves following a dispute with other patrons.
As the Zimbabwe Republic Police Bulawayo province spokesperson Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo advised in yesterday’s Chronicle, people who legally hold firearms should ensure that they carry them only for the purposes specified in their firearms certificates. This helps prevent the guns falling into wrong hands and ending up being used for criminal purposes.
Police have reported that last Friday afternoon a five-man armed gang of robbers raided a house in Burnside in Bulawayo and got away with cash, a gun and ammunition.
The robbers were posing as Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company meter readers.
Residents should also advise their domestic workers to be very careful and not allow strangers into their premises.
The Burnside robbers found two domestic workers at the house and produced a pistol before binding the workers together. They went on to ransack the house and stole property including a revolver, six rounds of ammunition, a gold ring, $200 and 4 000 Mozambican meticals.
Two weeks ago two armed men pounced on Qalisa Retirement Village in Bulawayo’s Suburbs and robbed six residents of their valuables and cash amounting to $20 570.
The two jumped the security wall and handcuffed an unsuspecting security guard who was manning the entrance while his two colleagues were on patrol.
The incident occurred at about 2am on a Friday and according to reports the two robbers were brandishing pistols.
They also looted a gold bracelet, three cellular phones and R200 cash.
As these incidents and several more in other urban centres indicate, armed robbers are targeting residents and businesspeople in towns and cities.
Let us heed the advice of police and minimise the chances of us falling victim to robbers.
Should the robbers raid you, please do not resist their orders because they will harm you or even kill you since they will be armed.
Online Reporter