Hardly a week goes by without a report of an armed robbery case in Zimbabwe involving huge sums of money and that does not bode for the security of citizens and businesses.
A few weeks ago, Zimbabweans witnessed the country’s biggest ever heist which was recorded on video where over US$4 million was seized from an Ecobank brank in Bulawayo by six suspects.
The money was being loaded into a waiting cash-in-transit van when the armed men pounced.
Police are yet to account for the suspects amid suggestions by the law enforcement agency that it could have been an inside job. Last week, suspected armed robbers struck again in Bulawayo where they made off with US$32 500 and 300 rands.
The men, who were carrying pistols and a pick, raided a company in the city’s Belmont industrial area where they tied some security guards and a dozen workers with shoelaces before getting away with the cash.
One of the workers was struck on the head with a pick after attempting to escape and the suspects also confiscated valuables and cellphones, police said.
There are many similar incidents that have been reported by the police over the past few weeks.
Police have hardly made any high profile arrests of armed robbers this year and convictions by the courts are far in between, which means that there are a lot of dangerous criminals that are on the loose.
An amnesty for people with unlicensed guns, who were asked to hand them over to the police saw very few weapons being surrendered.
The rise in the number of violent robberies has the effect of inducing a sense of insecurity among citizens.
Investors will also be reluctant to put their money in a country where the security of their businesses is not guaranteed.
It is, therefore, incumbent upon the police to account for the people behind the armed robberies.
The police should be launching operations to tame the menace and work with the judicial system to ensure that there is a higher price to pay for involvement in the vice.
Trials for those that are suspected of involvement in armed robberies must be expedited to eliminate the necessity of them being released on bail where the propensity of them re-offending is high.
There are syndicates of armed robbers in Zimbabwe, who are known to the authorities, with some of the notorious ones being on the run for several years.
That is a very undesirable situation because it potrays police as impotent and encourages more to join the criminal ranks. A firmer hand will bring the situation back to normal.
