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Pamela Shumba Senior Reporter
POLICE have refuted reports by Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) boss Gershem Pasi that they were collecting and retaining $3,7 million per month in roadblock fines.Pasi told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Budget and Economic Development on Monday that money collected by other government departments including the police was difficult to trace.
But yesterday national police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said Pasi’s remarks were made out of ignorance as the police’s monthly retentions had never exceeded $1 million. She said Pasi’s utterances were false and accused him of seeking to trigger public emotions against the police.
“We wish to set the record straight on Pasi’s ignorant assertion that the police is collecting and retaining $3,7 million per month through roadblock fines,” said Snr Asst Comm Charamba.
“The treasury authority has directed us to retain spot fines for traffic offences only, while all other fines for various offences are going straight to the fiscus.
“Police officers on tour of duty away from their homes are given travelling and subsistence allowances just like any other government employee who is away on duty from their normal work stations. No single cent goes to any police officer’s personal pocket.”
Snr Asst Comm Charamba said Pasi should not use the police as a scapegoat for failing to perform his duties.
“Police operations have been negatively affected due to lack of fiscal support. This militated against police functions with the public castigating us for poor service delivery especially on scene attendance due to lack of transport,” she said.
Snr Asst Comm Charamba reiterated police’s zero tolerance on corruption saying both criminal and disciplinary action were taken against any offender within the force followed by subsequent dismissal from work.
She said the police had not been accessing funding allocated to them in the budget from treasury.
“In any case not all vehicles and drivers are subject to fines except those belonging to offenders and the figures fluctuate on a monthly basis. The police is not only the department on retention scheme,” she said.
“Pasi and his Zimra are on the retention scheme and they started before the police did.”
Snr Asst Comm Charamba said the police were surprised why Pasi was mourning yet he was on record boasting of having exceeded revenue collection targets well beyond those given to him by government.
derick.khumalo