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Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
POLICE have expressed concern over the increase in cases of juvenile rape in Victoria Falls.

The Officer Commanding police in Victoria Falls district Chief Superintendent Jairos Chiona said 11 cases of juvenile rape were reported between January and December last year. The top cop said the figure could be higher as other cases were going unreported.

Chief Supt Chiona said this during the re-launch of the ZRP Client Service Charter which coincided with the launch of the Business Against Crime Forum of Zimbabwe (BACFOZ), an organisation that will mobilise businesses to assist the police to fight crime.

“Police are like fish in water and the community is the water. We trust leaders who are here will disseminate some of our concerns. As police we’re worried about cases of sexual abuse and we’re appealing to the local chiefs, councillors and the general populace to help combat crime,” said Chief Supt Chiona.

“From January to date, we received 11 cases of juvenile rape and seven cases of adult rape. We’re disappointed that we’ve individuals who still believe that juvenile sex cures certain ailments. Juveniles are being raped by close relatives such as uncles, brothers and statistics show that juveniles are more prone to rape than adults.”

Turning to the Client Service Charter re- launch, Chief Supt Chiona appealed for a partnership with the community.

“The ZRP is reinvigorating its Police Service Charter launched in 1995 through the re-launch of an improved ZRP Client Service Charter. Our major objective is to improve service delivery in line with objectives of Zim-Asset,” he said.

The Client Service Charter spells out services offered by the organisation and gives members of the community a say through feedback.

The police came up with a Client Service Charter in a bid to clearly spell out what people should expect from the police.

In the charter, the police promise to commit themselves to providing an effective and efficient policing service to the public.

Victoria Falls Mayor Councillor Sifiso Mpofu urged all businesses to help police fight crime.

“We’re all eyes of the police. Let’s unite and work with the police to fight crime. BACFOZ is a corporate policing initiative that seeks to enhance government and police efforts in fighting crime and there’s a need for all peace loving Zimbabweans to participate.

“The Victoria Falls community should therefore join BACFOZ because we want business to grow in a crime-free environment. We should allocate more resources to the police to enable them to respond promptly to crime reports,” said the mayor.

BACFOZ chairperson Yvonne Yandles said the initiative which had been abandoned, was revived last year.

“As peace-loving Zimbabweans I urge you to participate in every activity that’s meant to fight crime. Crime is a societal evil that we all need to fight collectively,” she said.