POLICE in Bulawayo have roped in their horse and dog units in operations targeting people violating lockdown regulations meant to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since Thursday, a Chronicle news crew has been witnessing
scores of vendors and other people being rounded up in the city centre for
violating lockdown regulations.
Late last month, Government extended the Level 4 National
lockdown by another two weeks and is expected to end this coming Monday. The
measures seem to be paying off as Covid-19 infections and deaths have started
decreasing.
On Saturday police teams were conducting raids in the city
centre and officers riding horses could be seen apprehending vendors hiding
among crowds waiting to board buses to their various destinations near the
Small City Hall parking.
Police were also conducting raids using dogs and vehicles
while other law enforcement agents were conducting foot patrols in other parts
of the city centre.
Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Abednico
Ncube said the deployment of the teams is part of measures to step up
enforcement of lockdown regulations.
He said between Saturday and Sunday, police in Bulawayo
arrested 6 491 people for violating lockdown measures following the stepped up
operations.
“We have observed that many people are not taking lockdown
regulations seriously so we have enlisted the services of all policing
departments in an effort to reduce the number of people coming into town
without a cause. We now have horses, canine which is our dog section, motorised
patrols and those on foot.
This is all to make sure that there is sanity in the city.
Those who are not supposed to come without exemption letters or without reason
such as going to hospitals to see doctors or pharmacies must stay at home,”
said Insp Ncube.
He said even in residential areas, people are not spared
from adhering to lockdown prevention measures.
“It does not mean that by not coming into the central
business district one should be roaming around in the western suburbs such as
Nkulumane, Cowdray Park and Pumula South as you would find people gathered. We
will soon dispatch the horse and canine teams to those areas. And we want to
urge residents that before this action is taken, we have to take control
ourselves and prevent this Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
Insp Ncube said on Saturday they arrested 10 youths aged 18
and 19 during an illegal party in Emganwini suburb and some of them failed to
pay the $2 000 fine hence they will be taken to court.
“On the 6th day of February 2021 at around 8.30pm, police
in Nkulumane received information through an anonymous caller to the effect
that there was a party, vuzu party at a house in Emganwini suburb, Bulawayo.
The police reacted to the information by proceeding to the given address and
managed to arrest the accused persons,” said Insp Ncube.
He said the party convener is an 18-year-old male adult
whose parents are based in South Africa.
“It was observed that the accused persons were drinking
alcohol and dancing to music. A cooler box and three empty bottles of 750mls
blended whisky were recovered at the scene. It was established that the house
belongs to the parents of Oscar Sibanda who are staying in South Africa,” he
said.
“The accused persons and recovered beer empty bottles were
taken to station and the accused persons were detained at ZRP Nkulumane. Some
of the accused persons managed to pay fines of $2 000 each while the rest are
still in police custody waiting for their parents or guardians to pay the
fines.”
Recently, police revealed how their trained dogs and horses
have become essential in fighting crime.
The acting officer-in-charge of ZRP Bulawayo Canine Unit,
Assistant Inspector Makhosi Masuku, said cops have 20 specially trained dogs
that help them in executing their duties.
He said the dogs’ duties include searching for drugs and
explosives, locating missing people, finding crime scene evidence, dispersing
rioters and attacking people targeted by the police.
Just like canine unit, police have 20 horses which help
them to enforce the law.The horses fall under the Mounted Unit and acting
officer in charge of ZRP Bulawayo mounted unit, Assistant Inspector Onias
Sibanda, said the horses are an economic all-terrain mode of transport for
police officers.
Meanwhile, national police spokesperson Assistant
Commissioner Paul Nyathi said they were aware that some members of the public
were bribing police to pass through checkpoints without exemption letters.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police has noted that some members
of the public have become complacent and are now violating the national
lockdown measures in various suburbs in the country and committing offences
which include unnecessary movements, liquor offences and others.
In Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare and Masvingo motorists
are transporting commuters in open defiance of the lockdown measures. Motorists
are warned against conniving with security service members to gain passage at
check points as they will be dealt with in terms of the law,” said Asst Comm
Nyathi. Chronicle
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