Corruption hard to eradicate, say police

via Corruption hard to eradicate, say police | The Herald December 9, 2015

Lawrence Chitumba Herald Correspondent
Corruption is a crime difficult to detect and even more difficult to eradicate and if unchecked or inadequately punished it will continue to disadvantage society, police have said.

Speaking at the launch of the Business Against Crime Forum of Zimbabwe (BACFOZ) on Monday, Police Commissioner (Crime), Commissioner Solomon Mubatapasango said corruption and other white collar crimes were perpetrated by criminals masquerading as business professionals who possessed the requisite skills and experience to conceal the offences to avoid detection.

He said there was absolutely no doubt that crime seriously impinged on business growth and development, but regrettably crimes such as fraud, theft of trust property, corruption, cyber crime and money laundering continued to pervade business and industry.

“It is, therefore, my candid conviction that the introduction of BACFOZ in the CID Fraud Section will undoubtedly enable the section to tap the expertise, information, processes and technologies resident in business in order to enhance its detective, forensic and intelligence capabilities,” Comm Mubatapasango said.

He said police fully recognised that attempting to fight fraud and other criminal acts without forging synergies with relevant stakeholders was a fruitless battle.

“BACFOZ, therefore, becomes a cardinal initiative towards eliminating crime-enabling processes, systems and approaches bedevilling fraud policing and management in the country,” Comm Mubatapasango said.

“The ZRP is mindful that a downward trend in crime will further spawn a conducive environment for increased production in the business sector.

“Similarly, a boom in formal business also improves the Government’s revenue inflows thus enhancing socio-economic development in line with its economic aspirations and goals enshrined in the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset),” he said.

Comm Mubatapasango said ZRP has over the years been vigorously transforming policing services in tandem with policing dynamics on the global ter- rain.

He said a raft of strategies were put in place in an endeavour to embolden community participation in the fight against crime.