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Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba

Pamela Shumba Senior Reporter
A POLICEMAN is in hospital after he was stabbed with a knife while trying to apprehend a group of robbers who had broken into a shop in Bulawayo’s Central Business District.

The police officer, only identified as Constable Shonhe, was stabbed twice on the back by one of the four suspects who had broken into Cool Spot Supermarket along Fife Street at the corner of Masotsha Ndlovu Avenue last Monday.

The cop, who was on patrol with a colleague when he was attacked, is recovering at the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH).

National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba confirmed the incident and said the suspects are on the run.

“On November 2 at about 1AM, two police constables were on patrol and they arrived at a supermarket along Fife Street at the corner of Masotsha Ndlovu Avenue. They witnessed unlawful entry in progress, with four criminals in the shop,” said Snr Asst Comm Charamba.

“The criminals panicked and three ran away while one remained in the shop. On seeing the police officers, he jumped out of the shop through a window and Cst Shonhe tried to apprehend him. He produced a knife and stabbed the police officer who fell on the veranda.”

She said the suspect escaped and police attended the scene and Constable Shonhe was taken to hospital where he is recovering.

Snr Asst Comm Charamba said investigations were underway.

One of the workers at the supermarket who declined to be named said they were shocked to find the shop with broken windows and blood stains when they reported for work.

“We closed the shop at about 7PM as usual on Monday evening. When we reported for work the next morning we were shocked to see blood stains on the wall and broken windows. Police officers who were attending the scene told us that two police officers who were on patrol intercepted four robbers who had broken into the shop,” said the shop employee.

“The policemen noticed that there were people in the shop and rushed to inspect. They tried to apprehend them and one of the robbers produced a knife and stabbed one of the police officers twice on the back.”

She said the robbers fled after the botched robbery and left the police officer in a pool of blood.

“The shop was upside down when we came in the morning. They broke two windows to gain entry before breaking the empty tills and drawers that we had locked before we left. The police officers pounced on them while they were still searching for money in the shop. They left without taking anything,” added the shop employee.

There has been a spate of robberies in the city with supermarkets and schools being targeted.

About two weeks ago, a group of masked burglars blew up safes at Bulawayo’s Bellevue Choppies supermarket (formerly Bellevue Spar) and got away with more than $16,000.

The robbers allegedly used shears to cut through the roof of the outlet during the night.

A few weeks before that, robbers hit Bulawayo’s Richmond Spar and got away with more than $10,000. Last month robbers pounced on six Bulawayo schools and got away with more than $4,000.