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Sydney Kawadza Senior Reporter
Home Affairs Minister Dr Ignatius Chombo has urged Zimbabweans to help the police to fight traffic crimes bedevilling the country.
Officiating at the ZRP Commissioner-General’s Charity Race at Borrowdale Racecourse on Saturday, Minister Chombo said a number of traffic police details had lost their lives while manning roadblocks across Zimbabwe.
His remarks came after Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri last month defended the use of spikes at roadblocks as a necessary defence for traffic police.
The police chief said at least 36 police details were either killed or injured on the country’s roads in 2016.
“To date, the organisation has lost so many lives and there are so many officers who have been maimed.
“When they lose their lives in these circumstances, it is extremely difficult for the Commissioner-General of Police to explain to the surviving children and spouses the sudden loss of a husband, father and a breadwinner,” he said.
Dr Chombo appealed to Zimbabweans to “come out in one accord to denounce and unequivocally complement police efforts in bringing sanity on our roads”.
“It is imperative that we guard against knee-jerk prejudice and unhelpful grandstanding. This needlessly confers default misplaced legitimacy and emboldened truancy on our roads.”
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Dr Walter Mzembi has expressed frustration over the continued existence of numerous police roadblocks on the country’s highways, saying Zimbabwe was not a war zone.
He said roadblocks were a threat to the tourism sector urging police to revise their policing culture.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has, however, indicated that police would reduce the number of roadblocks to four in each province after the introduction an electronic traffic monitoring system.
The system, being developed by the police in partnership with Univern Enterprises, is also expected to help reduce corruption and foster compliance by motorists.
Once operational, roadblocks will be under 24-hour surveillance with real-time images beamed to a central server.
The system would enable motorists to pay fines for traffic offences using plastic money like bank cards and mobile money transfer systems.
Those without cash on the spot would be ticketed and pay later or when they licence their vehicles.
Online Reporter