adminThe officer commanding police in Beitbridge District, Chief Superintendent Lawrence Chinhengo, said the 28 were arrested between Friday last week and Monday during a joint border operation along the Limpopo River.
“We arrested 28 suspects during a joint border operation with South African police. Among those arrested are five serial armed robbers who have being mainly targeting smugglers and border jumpers using undesignated entry points along the Limpopo River,” he said.
Chief Supt Chinhengo said 12 of the arrested criminals have since been convicted and sentenced to between five and 10 years in jail.
“We also rounded up several touts operating at the border post where they swindle unsuspecting travellers of their money by masquerading as border officials and clearing agents,” he said.
Chief Supt Chinhengo said the just- ended operation was aimed at restoring sanity along the border.
“We are aware that there are some criminals who commit crimes in either Zimbabwe or South Africa and then flee to either of those countries hence we decided to team up as police from the two countries to curb such practice.
“Crime knows no international boundary, which is therefore why we are working with our South African counterparts in fighting the scourge along our borders,” he said.
The criminal hotspots include Dulibadzimu Gorge, Mujuta Farm and the bushy area near the Limpopo River spillway.
Chief Supt Chinhengo said the exercise followed concerns raised by local residents and travellers following an increase in criminal activities around the border area.
“We are out in full force to restore sanity along the border and we will continue to conduct such routine operations for as long as there are criminals operating our borders,” he said.
Last month, police from the two countries also conducted a similar exercise during which they arrested 82 suspects most of whom were on the wanted list for crimes such as armed robbery, rape and murder.
They recovered machetes, axes, iron bars and knives, which were used in committing the offences.
Police have attributed crime along the border to an increase in the number of stranded deportees from South Africa, mostly ex-convicts who end up resorting to crime.
On being deported from South Africa, returnees are taken to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reception and support centre where they are offered overnight accommodation, medication, food and transport to proceed to their respective homes.
However, some of the deportees turn down the assistance from the IOM and cross back to South Africa illegally through undesignated entry points along the crocodile infested Limpopo River while others resort to criminal activities.
“We would like to warn people against using undesignated entry points to cross the border as they risk their lives and prosecution,” said Chief Supt Chinhengo.
Several border jumpers and smugglers have fallen prey to organised syndicates operating along the crocodile-infested Limpopo River.
According to a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) report, an average of 16 border jumpers are being raped and robbed every month as they illegally cross into the neighbouring country through undesignated entry points.
MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, has established Sexual and Gender Based Violence Clinics in the border towns of Musina and Beitbridge in which the non-governmental organisation is mainly targeting, in-transit truck drivers, commercial sex workers and sexually abused irregular migrants seeking STI treatment, trauma counselling, tetanus, HIV and Aids tests and anti-retroviral post exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
Meanwhile, Zimbabwean and South African police met in Beitbridge this week to strategise on ways aimed at intensifying border patrols.
“We held a meeting as police from Zimbabwe and South Africa to map the way forward on eradicating crime along our borders. We discussed issues that revolved around security and policing issues affecting our borders, information sharing, crime intelligence gathering and operational strategies to fight organised cross-border crime,” said Chief Supt Chinhengo.
He said the one day meeting was also aimed at reviewing their just-ended joint border operation as well as coming up with new policing strategies.
Online Reporter