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Guns seem to be in the wrong hands in Zimbabwe thereby putting the lives of innocent citizens at risk. Cases of armed robbers are on the increase and in most cases the robbers are armed with guns. The robbers who are after cash, are targeting business premises, homes and illegal foreign currency dealers.

People’s lives are at risk and something has to be done urgently to control access to guns.

In Zimbabwe an individual cannot just walk into a shop and buy a gun.  When one needs a gun, he or she has to go through a process that includes vetting by the police. The person must also justify the need for such a weapon.

The owners of guns are then issued with licences and the police from time to time can check on the use of the weapons. Most guns that are being used to commit robberies are not licensed. Some of the guns have been smuggled from neighbouring South Africa while others belong to individuals who were robbed of their firearms.

The police in Bulawayo once conducted an exercise to check on gun licences and such an exercise should be ongoing to ensure all guns are accounted for at any given time. Last Thursday a suspected usiphatheleni from Bulawayo allegedly lost $7 800 and R2 000 to three armed robbers. The robbers pounced on her as she parked her car at her house in Cowdray Park suburb. The robbers fired two shots in the air to scare their victims before robbing Ms Ashly Mushungu of the cash.

Recently four robbers pounced on a service station in Tshabalala suburb and got away with about $200. The robbers assaulted and seriously injured a security guard who wanted to disarm one of them. A number of retail outlets in Bulawayo have been robbed of cash and a number of families in both Bulawayo and Harare that keep large amounts of money at home have fallen victim to these robbers. Police have repeatedly warned members of the public not to keep large amounts of money at home or business premises as this attracts robbers.

The upsurge in cases of armed robberies in major cities and towns such as Bulawayo is therefore a cause for concern. Residents’ lives are at risk as their security is no longer guaranteed. What is not in dispute is that most robberies are being committed by known people which means if members of the public join hands with the police, the suspects can be arrested.

It is therefore incumbent upon each and every citizen to assist the police rid society of these undesirable elements. Most of these robbers spend the day with their families and relatives and turn robbers at night. It should be the responsibility of each and every citizen to identify such elements and report them to the police.

Those that provide sanctuary to criminals are accomplices in crime and should not fry foul when police pounce on them. Residents should not hesitate to report suspicious people to the police so that they are put on surveillance.

Police on their part should be close to the people to deter criminals. Night patrols are a very critical component of policing and residents can complement this by joining neighbourhood watch committees. The judiciary has been playing its role by sending robbers to jail for long periods but what is disturbing is that these long jail terms are not deterrent enough.

We want to once again implore members of the public to make Zimbabwe a very unsafe place for criminals by assisting the police to flush them out.