Speaking at a breakfast meeting organised by the Security
Association of Zimbabwe, Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe said armed
robbers had become sophisticated and increasingly difficult to catch.
“There is need to train the police on modern-day policing.
It is disturbing to note that criminals are continuously adopting creative
techniques to target their victimsat an unprecedented pace and are constantly
seeking methods to avoid detection,” Kazembe said.
Poor equipment and lack of proper technology for law
enforcement agents have been cited as the major causes of failure to curb
increasing criminal activities across the country.
“To stay ahead of them, the need for relevant stakeholders
to come up with services or products that make it difficult for criminals to
carry out their activities cannot be over-emphasised,” Kazembe said.
“Police can work hand-in-glove with security companies to
eradicate crimes such as robbery. Let me, therefore, emphasise that in this
21st century, security systems should be underpinned by technological solutions
for ease of doing business.”
Also complicating the country’s fight against armed robbers
is the involvement of some rogue serving and ex-police officers and soldiers in
armed robberies.
Police Deputy Commissioner-General Learn Ncube said 8 542
robberies were reported in 2022 with 4 609 being armed robberies.
“It has become a thorn in the flesh for us in the security
services, just as it has sent shivers down the spines of the general citizenry
we are supposed to protect. Included in the cases of armed robbery are
incidents whereby security guards have been brutally attacked, their weapons
taken away and in severe cases, lives lost,” Ncube said.
“There is a proliferation of guns in the hands of criminals
and the trend is disturbing. Almost everyday, robbers are attacking people they
know to be carrying or possessing large sums of foreign currency at their homes
or business premises, robbing them of cash and weapons they will be having,” he
added.
In August, President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared an amnesty
on all illegal firearm holders to voluntarily surrender them at nearest police
stations with no questions asked.
“What is more disturbing is that perpetrators are arming
themselves with weapons they are getting from victims, thereby increasing and
expanding their groups. The population of robbers is, therefore, growing and
hence increased fear of crime,” Ncube said.
“The effects of sanctions have not spared ZRP as it is not
adequately resourced in terms of equipment for law enforcement.
Insurance Council of Zimbabwe chief executive Tendai
Karonga said companies keeping large sums of money at their premises were attracting
robbers.
“Criminals are targeting hard cash and high value goods
such as jewellery and gold. Businesses and individuals are holding too much
cash at their premises. There were
loopholes in the provision of security services that criminals can pick on, for
example the types of money safes that are found in industry and homesteads,” he
said.
“Interestingly, we have noted as an industry that some of
these criminals are engaging in serious crime not out of greediness or
whatever, but as a profession, especially the syndicates which are defrauding
the insurance industry.” Newsday
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