Zimpapers Logo

“Lately, we have witnessed an upsurge in gun-related crimes.

There is a clear upsurge in abuse of firearms, including violent armed robberies.

Government now treats this as a grave threat to personal and National Security.

Decisive measures have now become necessary to put an end to this growing menace which threatens our otherwise peaceful, law-abiding Nation and citizenry.

Those who dabble in arms, will soon fall by the sword. Let them be warned.”

These are the words of President Mnangagwa as he addressed the nation on Unity Day in reaction to the rise in cases of armed robberies recorded last year.

As the country enters the New Year, the issue of armed robberies should be urgently tackled before it goes out of hand as the President has rightly described the scourge as a grave threat to personal and national security.

The police are therefore urged to up their efforts in the eradication of armed robberies.

Credit is due to the law enforcement agents as the year ended with the police having an upper hand over the criminals having arrested suspects and accounted for most of the armed robberies.

Some of the high-profile arrests by the police included that of alleged armed robbery kingpin, Musa Taj Adbul and his accomplices in Beitbridge mid-last year and the swift swoop on suspects in the Macheke case where a 10-month-old toddler was shot dead while the mother was injured during an armed robbery raid.

That spirit should continue as police apply more pressure on the robbers and rid all criminal elements from society.

The robbery incidents in the past year have also seen a few members of the security sector taking part in the crime, which security bosses have condemned and called on the public to report such characters.

“The ZDF wishes to appeal to members of the public to report any member of the ZDF who behaves in a criminal manner or displays behaviour not in keeping with the ZDF code of conduct, to the nearest cantonment area or to phone the following numbers 024 2792661 and 071 2808007 so that corrective action is taken promptly,” said Brigadier-General Augustine Chipwere, in a statement on New Year’s Eve.

Police national spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi last month reiterated that no one is above the law.

“No one is above the law, if you commit a crime, you will be arrested regardless of who you are.

Specific to serving members of the police force, if you are caught acting in cahoots with robbers, you will face internal disciplinary measures.

You will also be tried in a criminal court and will obviously lose your job,” he said.

To eradicate armed robberies, the police also need cooperation from members of the public.

“We want co-operation from the public as we fight this scourge of robberies.

People should not keep large sums of money at home or at work. We have observed that most cases are a result of information leaks from workers or acquaintances of victims,” said Asst Comm Nyathi last month.

“Cash-in-transit robberies have also been a cause for worry. Companies should bank their money in their towns of operation to avoid driving long distances with money.”

The Public is urged to avoid keeping large sums of cash in homes. Keeping unregistered firearms in homes is a crime while those registered ones should be properly secured.

“There are people who are being licensed to own firearms and the guns are being stolen due to poor storage methods.

“When someone who has a licensed gun dies, families should approach the authorities for guidance on what needs to be done,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.

“It is illegal for families to relay guns to deceased people’s relatives in the same manner that they would do with clothes.

Some guns are being given to young relatives as inheritance pieces and they end up being used to commit crime.”

Zimbabwe is known the world over for its peace and tranquility and armed robbers should not be allowed to taint the country’s image through criminal activities.

It is everyone’s duty therefore to contribute in anyway that they can to ensure that the issue of armed robberies is permanently dealt with. Only through collaboration will the criminals be effectively dealt with.