Source: Soldiers’ actions expose bad policing – DailyNews Live
Guthrie Munyuki 5 August 2017
HARARE – On Tuesday, hundreds of ordinary citizens witnessed a spectacle
they felt would never occur in Zimbabwe – angry soldiers beating up
uniformed police officers on the streets of Harare!
Yes, it happened and much to the shock of many people.
The incident was sparked by a reported use of police spikes on a car
belonging to a soldier in one of the many unpopular police roadblocks
which the authorities say are not roadblocks but spot checks.
It was a sad day for many Zimbabweans as this spectacle further
highlighted everything that has become wrong with these police roadblocks.
No one must celebrate the actions of the soldiers who ruthlessly savaged
innocent police officers going about their business.
It is barbaric and unsettling as these actions raise needless tensions in
a country that is already hurting due to myriad problems – both political
and economic.
Any well-meaning Zimbabweans should never celebrate what happened on
Tuesday no matter how much they don’t like these roadblocks and the
spikes.
However, the unfortunate incident must not be looked at from a political
lens as other people would want ordinary Zimbabweans to believe because
there is certainly nothing political about complaining over the use of
spikes on moving vehicles by police, as evidenced by the outcry from the
public and lawmakers.
There is even a case before the High Court relating to the use of spikes
at these roadblocks so, going into detail of the legalities of this would
be improper and sub judice.
But Tuesday’s incident, while deplorable and regrettable, serves to
underline the problems created by the current policing with regards to the
roadblocks.
Crucially, the actions of the soldiers serve to show that it is high time
police abandons its use of spikes and reduce these roadblocks.
The view of the public is that there is recalcitrant attitude by police
because the highest office has spoken about the need to address these
roadblocks, people have been injured as a result of use of spikes,
international tourists have turned their backs on the country and the
lawmakers have said things cannot continue like this.
When one considers that the police force itself is struggling with
imposters who are mounting roadblocks using their own uniforms, then
surely the expectation would be that police must take heed of the
outcries.
What happened on Tuesday is a dangerous sign and goes to show how other
arms of the security forces are also fed up with this kind of policing and
would go to the ends of the earth to try and put a stop to this, sadly by
flouting the laws such as engaging in revenge missions.
Such acts help to encourage members of the public to take the law into
their own hands and one shudders to think what would happen next.
The celebratory mood and cheering which was witnessed as police officers
ran away from the angry soldiers was revealing.
Things must not be allowed to come to this.
Unless government steps in and takes decisive action on the roadblocks and
spikes, we could be heading towards uncharted waters.
Meanwhile, police roadblocks continue to bring in more revenue than most
top performing companies listed on the stock exchange.
In the first six months police collected $14 million from its unpopular
roadblocks and arrested more than one million traffic offenders during
that period.
Police also collected R11,717 900 million.
The figures are carried in a Memorandum compiled by officer commanding
national
traffic and sent to police chiefs and relevant heads in a review of fines,
arrests and targets carried in the first 178 days of 2017.
Curiously, the report mentioned that police officers manning the
roadblocks and carrying spot checks were failing to meet their targets due
to many roadblocks, especially in Harare.
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