Editorial Comment: Residents must play their part in fight against crime

Fighting crime should be a collective effort if society is to be rid of undesirable elements. What this means is that the police and members of the public should join hands to fight crime. Criminals live among people and it is therefore the duty of every responsible citizen to ensure criminals are brought to book.

Police in Bulawayo last week arrested more than 200 suspected criminals in just two days and we want to believe this was made possible by the co-operation from members of the public who provided vital information.

Property worth thousands of dollars was recovered following the sting operation meant to curb thefts from motor vehicles, unlawful entry and plain robberies among other crimes. Police said some of the property was recovered at flea markets which means it was either taken there by criminals or sold to flea market vendors by the thieves.

Residents are having sleepless nights as a result of burglaries and we want the police to continue such operations to rid the city of these criminals. Members of the public, as already alluded to, have a vital role to play in fighting crime. It is members of the public who should provide information on the operations of criminals in their respective areas.

Members of the public should also refrain from buying stolen property as doing so provides a ready market for criminals. Police have already warned that those who buy stolen property risk being arrested for receiving stolen goods. A number of residents in the city have of late fallen victims to criminals who operate Honda Fit vehicles who robbed them of cash and other valuables.

Police have repeatedly warned the commuting public to avoid boarding pirate taxis but it seems most residents especially those from the eastern suburbs prefer these small cars despite the risk. Most drivers of these pirate taxis turn robbers at night and many commuters have been robbed during the so called “door to door deliveries”. The police have been impounding the pirate Honda Fit vehicles but this operation can only be successful if complemented by boycott of these vehicles by commuters.

According to police 69 of the 91 plain robberies recorded in the city last month were committed by drivers of pirating Honda Fit vehicles. Commuters who therefore choose to use these pirate vehicles are putting their lives at risk. Owners of vehicles that want to provide public transport should have them registered so that it becomes easy to trace the vehicles in the event drivers engage in criminal activities.

We want to commend the police in Bulawayo who have since the beginning of the year recorded a series of successes against criminals. The police have among other achievements, accounted for the notorious gang of criminals that has been terrorising residents of Luveve and Cowdray Park suburbs who were being robbed and raped, in some cases in their own houses. We want to once again urge the police to continue the fight against crime and members of the public to complement these efforts by providing the required information.

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