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A daring gang of five men on Friday morning attacked a police base in Bulawayo and attempted to rape one of the police officers. The base which is close to Amakhosi Cultural Centre, was being manned by three police officers, two of them females, when the gang pounced at about 1AM. The two female officers fought hard to keep their attackers at bay while the male police officer called for reinforcement from Bulawayo Central Police Station which responded in minutes. The knife-wielding attackers had vanished into the darkness by the time the officers from Bulawayo Central Police Station arrived but they managed to track down and arrest two of the suspects with the assistance of sniffer dogs.
We want to commend the police for their swift reaction which led to the arrest of two of the suspects and hope the remaining three will be accounted for very soon. The attack on the police base has however shaken Bulawayo residents who, like the rest of Zimbabweans, look up to the police for protection against criminals. What message are the criminals sending to residents?
It seems the criminals are not deterred by the establishment of this police base which was a direct response to increased cases of mugging in the area. The attack on the base exposed shortcomings of such bases which in most cases are ill-equipped and manned by few police officers.
Residents have in the past complained about police’s late response to calls for assistance especially if the reports are made at police bases.
In some cases residents have been asked to provide transport to police officers at such bases to enable them to conduct investigations. We want to implore the police to equip such bases with the necessary weapons and other tools for the job to enable officers to fight criminals as well as attend to distress calls.
We do not understand why the police officers at the Amakhosi Cultural Centre base didn’t have a single gun. Last month we commended the police in Bulawayo for accounting for the nine-man gang that was terrorising the Cowdray Park and Luveve suburbs residents.
The gang members who robbed and raped residents, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 18 to 115 years but it seems this was not deterrent enough. We still have criminals that are so daring to the extent of attacking a Police Base and attempting to rape a police officer.
The attack on the police base, in our view, has sent wrong signals to residents who feel vulnerable to attacks by criminals. The police need to restore public confidence by ensuring that such attacks do not occur in future.
A police base or station should guarantee residents security and this is only possible if the base or station is well equipped and has adequate manpower. We want to once again call on authorities in the police force in Bulawayo to ensure police bases are not vulnerable to attacks by criminals.
Online Reporter