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ARMED robbers continue to change their modus operandi and targets hence the need for the police to also change their pre-emptive tactics.

At first the robbers were targeting individuals or companies keeping large sums of money either at home or business premises.

When they realised that most people who had the habit of keeping money at home or business premises had stopped doing so to avoid exposing themselves to robbers, the targets changed to cash-in-transit vehicles and schools.

The robbers are now targeting cross-border buses and their victims are cross-border shoppers who normally carry a lot of cash.

Last week armed robbers pounced on an MB Transport bus around Ngundu area and robbed passengers of goods and cash worth one million rand.

This was barely a week after five robbers attacked a CAG Travellers Coaches bus along the Harare-Chirundu highway and ordered all passengers to undress.

The robbers then took the passengers’ clothes and more than US$20 000 before disappearing. The police, who have expressed concern at the increasing number of cross-border buses that are being robbed, have urged bus operators to ensure that the crews compile a passengers list or manifest.

The crews are supposed to record the passenger’s full names, national identification number, passport number, cellphone number, the place where the person is going and particulars of his or her next of kin. This, the police said, is meant to ensure only genuine passengers board buses.

A number of the robbers are boarding the buses pretending to be genuine passengers only to rob the passengers on the way.

Police have also urged bus crews to conduct a body and luggage search of the passengers as part of the pre-emptive measures.

It is important for bus crews to strictly adhere to the passenger manifest to make it difficult for robbers to sneak into their buses. Police should also deploy undercover police officers in some of these cross-border buses as part of counter-measures.

The country witnessed an upsurge in armed robberies this year and what is disturbing is that some of the robbers are either serving or retired members of the security forces. Some of the robbers are operating from neighbouring South Africa and only make forays into the country after identifying their targets and quickly return to their base after the robbery.

The operations of the armed robbers have therefore, become very complex hence the need for the police to up their game. What is however, comforting is that the police have managed to account for some of the robbers whose bases are in South Africa and some who are members of the security forces during the day and turn robbers at night.

We have said it before that criminals including robbers live with us in the communities and the only way to rid our communities of these dangerous elements is to expose them by reporting them to the police.

We want at this juncture to implore each and every citizen to join hands with the police in fighting crime and to be vigilant all the time. Let us make our communities no-go areas for criminals.