Online Reporter
Nyore Madzianike
Senior Reporter
A major investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting of two detectives by a suspected armed robber earlier this week in Zaka, Masvingo province, has been launched with authorities set to review how the officers were conducting their duties at the time of the incident.
Responding to questions during Thursday’s Senate sitting, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister, Kazembe Kazembe, expressed sorrow over the death of detectives Bernard Chindeke (38) and McKenzie Chitowe (42), describing the incident as a tragic loss for the nation and the police.
“Yes, it is very disheartening that we lost some police officers who were enforcing the law on duty,” said Minister Kazembe.
“They were chasing after some people who were very troublesome and had caused many problems.”
He said police officers operate in high-risk environments where they may sometimes lose their lives in the line of duty.
Minister Kazembe noted that detectives receive professional training to deal with dangerous situations but acknowledged that unforeseen incidents can still occur.
“Our police officers are taught and trained on how to handle such situations, especially those who lost their lives,” he said.
“They were trained and taught what to do, but accidents do happen. If we look at what happens in other countries, it is something that can occur.”
The Minister said authorities would thoroughly examine the circumstances surrounding the incident to determine whether operational procedures were properly followed.
“We have to intensify our training programmes for police officers so that they are able to protect themselves,” he said.
“They must follow the protocols that are supposed to be observed in order to minimise such incidents. We must carry out a thorough investigation to understand why this happened and whether there were issues related to how the officers were executing their duties.”
He also called on the public to cooperate with law enforcement agencies in their efforts to combat crime.
