Ignore
roadblocks set up by only two cops
on
December 29, 2012 at 6:50 pm
Motorists
should ignore roadblocks manned by less than three police officers
as they
are illegal, a top cop has said.
Responding
to questions from stakeholders in Bulawayo, the national Deputy
Officer
Commanding Traffic, Assistant Commissioner Kenny Mthombeni, said
officers
bent on corruption set up illegal roadblocks.
“When
you see two officers at check points or a police officer trying to
enforce traffic
regulations in a private vehicle, disobey their instructions
and
report them to their commanding officer,” said Asst Comm Mthombeni.
He said
corruption was rife in both the public and private sector, adding
that
only a collective effort by stakeholders could put an end to it.
Asst
Comm Mthombeni urged members of the public to supply police with
details
of commuter omnibuses that allegedly flouted traffic regulations
because
they were owned by police officers.
“We have
heard of such vehicles. We have heard that they use undesignated
pick up
points and some are without the necessary documents. Send
information
to us about them and I assure you the Commissioner General
Augustine
Chihuri will take measures and you will see the officers on the
street,”
he said to applause from the stakeholders.
Asst
Comm Mthombeni said police fines only went up to $20 and if any officer
asked
for more, it would be extortion.
“Our
fines are between $5 and $20. Anything above that would be done to
induce
bribery. If anyone is caught doing that, we will need to refund the
motorist
and the money will come from the officer’s salary,” he said.
The
national Deputy Officer Commanding Traffic said it was wrong for police
to
continue issuing a ticket for the same offence at different roadblocks on
a single
trip.
“If you
are ticketed the first time, at the next roadblock, you should be
stopped
and taken to court. It is also police policy that when a vehicle is
stopped
at a roadblock, officers inspect the vehicle and not the driver.
There is
therefore no need for the driver to leave the vehicle and approach
the
police. If this happens, corruption may be taking place,” said Asst Comm
Mthombeni.
He
instructed the Bulawayo traffic department to remove all unregistered
vehicles
from the road, as they were taking business away from registered
operators.
Asst
Comm Mthombeni said police and the public should be guided by Exodus 23
Verse 8,
which reads; “And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the
clear-sighted
and subverts the cause of those who are in the right,”
Speaking
at the same event, the deputy manager of the Vehicle Inspection
Depot
(VID) in Bulawayo, Mr Exevier Dzimba, said about 75 percent of the
buses
that have been impounded by his department in the city since 15
December,
were driven by unlicensed drivers and most of them had no brakes.
He said
the statistics showed the level of corruption at the VID and police
roadblocks.
“To show that Zimbabwe is really dirty, after impounding the
vehicles,
people from high up, including politicians start calling and
asking
us to release the vehicles,” said Mr Dzimba.
Speaking
after the event, Mr Dzimba said the VID always requested written
instructions
from anyone making such a request and the people would back
down.
The Bulawayo City Council’s head of traffic and security, Retired
Colonel
Tobias Dube, said one out of three vehicles in the city had
outstanding
traffic tickets.
He said
the city practiced zero tolerance towards corruption and had stopped
officers
from accepting fines that were not paid at the Revenue Hall.
The
regional Traffic Safety Manager for the Southern Region, Miss Barbara
Mpofu
said employers should ensure that their drivers had all the required
documents
and their vehicles were fit for the road to avoid the need to pay
bribes.
Other
stakeholders, who attended the event included members of the public,
public
transport associations, the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe and
senior
police officers in the province. The Chronicle
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