The accused officers allegedly demanded money from
motorists, promising to drop charges against them.
In a statement, Harare City Council spokesperson Mr Stanley
Gama said council would take disciplinary action against any officers found
guilty.
“The City of Harare has noted with concern, serious
transgressions and unprofessional conduct by some elements within the municipal
police, some of which have been captured on various media platforms.
“Mayor Clr Jacob Mafume and Town Clerk Engineer Hosiah
Chisango are currently seized with the matter and appropriate action will be
taken.
“Some municipal traffic police officers are terrorising
residents by extorting money from motorists under the guise of having arrested
them for traffic violations. The victims are subjected to all sorts of
intimidation until they part with their money,” said Mr Gama.
Residents should report any cases of criminal activities to
municipal police.
“This is a serious offence and the city has in the past few
weeks been investigating the illegal
activities by these individual rogue
elements within the municipal police. The city council would like to assure
residents that it is taking measures to put an end to this.
“To this end, the city administration has gathered evidence
of illegal practices against at least eight officers who have since been
suspended while investigations continue. Some of them were identified by
victims at a parade. They will go through the normal disciplinary hearings.
“In order to flush out these rogue elements, the city
council has since appointed an anti-corruption crack team that will react and
investigate such reports with speed,” said Mr Gama.
“The team will also be carrying out operations to catch the
criminals in the act. Members of the public and the business community who
encounter suspicious demands from municipal police officers or council
employees must report such issues to the Acting Chief Superintendent
Investigations, Harare Metropolitan Police on 0773 390 787 or 0242 751 820.
“The city is also working on making sure the municipal
officers have name tags so that they can be easily identified by residents.”
Herald
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