Police impound 106 unregistered vehicles

and proper documentation under an Operation code-named “Name Tag”.
The operation was launched last Friday, targeting vehicles without the required documents to be on the roads and fake number plates, among others.
Police believe that some of these vehicles were stolen from outside the country before being smuggled in while others are suspected to be behind a spate of criminal activities.
Acting Harare provincial police spokes-person Assistant Inspector Tarirai Dube yesterday said the operation was still continuing until there was sanity on the roads.
“Some of these cars were being used to commit heinous crimes and even accidents especially in hit and run situations making it difficult for us to track them,” she said.
She said they wanted to make sure that all these vehicles were registered in terms of the law.
Asst Insp Dube said all the impounded vehicles would only be released to the owners when they have all the required documents.
“This is a way of encouraging people to register their vehicles and we will be manning roadblocks and patrols, tracking down such vehicles,” she said.
Once impounded, the vehicles would be taken to Chikurubi Support Unit or any nearest police station for vetting by detectives from the CID Vehicle Theft Squad, International Police and Zimbabwe Revenue Authority officials.
It is believed that some of them could have been stolen from neighbouring countries such as South Africa before being smuggled into the country without proper registration.
Most of them would even have spent some time being driven in the country with the owner failing to register them.
“Once we finish the vetting process, all those found ‘clean’, would be issued with a police clearance certificate so that the owners would be able to acquire the registration number plates, in terms of the Vehicle Registration and Licensing Act or the Road Traffic Act,” Asst Insp Dube said.
For importers, once they brought in their vehicles into the country they are given a maximum period of 14 days to have their vehicles registered.
During this period the vehicle should not be driven until it has the proper documentation.
For the past few years police have been impounding such vehicles and urging people to have their vehicles registered but some were not taking heed of such warnings.
Most car dealers are known to be selling and keeping cars without number-plates.
Police will soon visit them so that they comply in terms of the law.
According to the police if some of these vehicles are also stolen, it would be difficult to trace them as they would not have any records.
If a vehicle is registered, the Central Vehicle Registry keeps records of the chassis and engine numbers, the owner’s name, address and other details.
Some vehicles impounded are those still fitted with old number plates.
In January this year, Government said it would impound all vehicles fitted with old number plates under the Vehicle Registration and Licensing Act Chapter 13:14 and fine the owners US$25 for failing to heed the directive to change the plates.
Most motorists were given up to December 31, 2010 to change their number plates but had not done so, resulting in the vehicles being impounded.