Harassment or law enforcement?

same moment he let loose the stick with the force of a baseball bat shattering the windscreen.
Shards of glass from the windscreen flew in every direction. Luckily for Nyahungwe, none of the pieces got into her eyes.
Nyahungwe’s heart skipped a bit as the kombi veered on the road verge before the driver brought it to a rattling halt.
The police officer was ready to strike again, waving the baton. Nyahungwe turned to policeman and asked: “Are you really serious that you wanted us all dead this easily. Do you mean I almost bought my death for R5?”
“Mother stop interfering with the law. I am doing my job of protecting the public from these dangerous kombi drivers,” he replied threateningly. She had to cut the conversation.
Another policeman had joined in the drama and was already going about their usual “tollgate business” (you know when you give them money and they give you a receipt).
After all was “paid and done”, they continued with their journey with the driver cursing very loudly for all to hear and asking his assistant how he was going to tell their boss about the windscreen incident.
In recent times, a number of policemen have been injured or run over by kombis or even passengers as the police intensify road blocks on the city roads.
While it is commendable that the police have brought some order on the country’s roads, some people are of the opinion that some police details are failing to execute their duty in a manner that does not endanger the public.
They have accused them of failing to give an eye to the public, which is usually at the receiving end of the stick.
One motorist, Itayi Makoni, said it is difficult to argue your way with the current traffic police as it seems they are there to milk the public of every cent without solving the country’s transport problems.
“With the law on their side, the officers do not listen to the motorist and they ask you to pull off the road until a moment you are either ‘willing to talk’ or pay the fine.
“No matter how you plead it seems the mission is to make money, nothing else. This not only about controling traffic,” he said.
National Traffic Police spokesperson Inspector Tigere Chigome acknowledged receiving complaints against traffic police. He urged the public to have a positive attitude towards the police because he said it seems the public has a negative attitude towards them to the extent of encouraging kombi drivers to evade the police.
“In some cases the public will sit back and watch kombi drivers evade the police and in some cases urge them to avoid roadblocks and at times if they happen to be involved in an accident they will want help from the same police they would have just evaded. The public is the main culprit because they usually bribe the police to avoid prosecution. They should not be afraid to go to court and defend themselves if they are guilty. Our fines do not exceed US$20 unless you have multiple offences, which the police are supposed to explain to you, and police officers are supposed to detain you for a maximum of 10 minutes,” he said.
“He went on to urge kombi drivers to co-operate with the police and stop intimidating them when they are asked to stop.
“We resorted to the baton because the drivers always try to evade the police when they are stopped or they close all windows and lock all doors and drive away.
“As long as the public does not help the police in fighting crime we will continue to lose many innocent lives. The public is supposed to effect a citizen’s arrest on rogue driver to save lives and maintain sanity on our roads”, he said.
Inspector Chigome said they have since stopped issuing Forms 265 commonly known as “tickets” because people were no longer coming forward to pay.
The police have wasted so much time and resources in trying to recover the money owed to them through “Operation Wanga Uripi”.
One lady, Ms Sylvia Zhuga, said it seems the police have no respect for people and are bound on harassing anyone at the slightest opportunity.
“Imagine they arrest all women for walking in town at night on allegations of loitering. It is so disgusting to be picked up when you are on your way home and get dragged to police station because the policeman suspects you are loitering”, she said.
She had her own unpleasant brush with the law enforcers and she said: “One day I was on my way home when I passed through a convenience shop along Samora Machel Avenue to buy some bread. I was so confident of myself and was talking on the phone when a male voice ordered me to stop.
“Confident as I was, I ignored and proceeded to talk on my phone when a police officer approached me from behind, grabbed my hand. Without getting time to explain I was shoved into a moving truck bound for Harare Central Police Station. I was never going to take this harassment lying down. I stood my ground arguing that I had every right to walk in town without fear of the police as this is an independent country. After exchanging a lot I words one of the officers instructed that I be dropped off as I sounded innocent,” she said.
Zhuga said she picked her plastic bag, climbed off the truck and started walking away but not without shame.
In recent years women and even couples have been arrested for loitering with the purpose of prostitution or solicitation an offence liable to a fine not exceeding level five or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months or to both such fine and such imprisonment (Amended by Act 22 of 2001, with effect from September 10, 2002]
Police at one point embarked on “Operation Chipo Chiroorwa” that did not bear much fruit as a lot of the ladies of the night are still on the loose. What angers a lot of people is that if you drive around the Avenues area they are a lot of half-naked women on the loose but the police are busy harassing every other woman in trousers and jeans.
It seems as if according to the police wearing a trousers and walking in town at night is an offence. The other time the police were said to be picking up women from nightclubs and bottle stores and arresting them for loitering. This was, however, seen as unfair and a big blow to our dear female “bar rangers” who enjoy the bottle just like their male counterparts.
Ms Zvikomborero Mazarura of Chishawasha said: “Can the police tell us how we are supposed to dress as women because I do not think wearing trousers is an offence.”
She went on to praise the police for the work that they are doing in fighting prostitution but added that they really need to know the difference between a prostitute and a woman coming from work.
“It is so sad when the police become the law and in turn cause more harm than good,” Ms Mazarura added.
Harare provincial police spokesperson Inspector Tadious Chibanda, however, denied the claims of women being harassed in town saying no one has ever come forward with         such a report thus he could not comment because he has no idea that such incidents are happening.
“We have not yet received such reports from the public, but if anyone is harassed at any given time whether by police or anyone else they should report the incident to the nearest police station.
“We do not condone such behaviour from any of our members. However, if a person is picked up in the streets and there is a case to answer, they will be taken into custody because, as police we are fighting to bring back sanity to our streets,” he said.
Some members of the public have expressed their concern saying that the problem is growing with each day and it seems that the newly recruited officers are only good at doing bicycle stunts and are not very educated when it comes to the real law.
Rumours of police officers who cannot write out a docket have been in circulation but it seems no amends have been made as yet.
Some people in Harare have said that they appreciate the police but they are worried about the way they are conducting their business. A lot of people complained about their treatment in the hands of police officers especially the evening bicycle patrol team and some even appealed to the authorities responsible for training of police officers to teach more law than bicycle stunts.
Most women have pleaded with the Zimbabwe Republic Police to respect them as they do their work.
As much as women appreciate the work that the police are doing in fighting crime they are also asking the police to protect and not harass them as they try to live their lives in this patriarchal society.
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