BEITBRIDGE municipality says it will provide land for the construction of police bases in its fast-growing residential suburbs.
Town Clerk Loud Ramakgapola said this was part of the municipality’s contribution towards fighting crime in the border town.
“We will provide land and even contribute towards the building of those bases,” Ramakgapola said in an interview.
“We are at the moment discussing with our stakeholders on what contribution they can make towards this noble cause.
“We should have proper bases complete with ablution facilities. We plan to have bases with at least five rooms and we appeal to willing community members to donate towards this cause.”
Kwalu suburb otherwise known as SDP has been in the news following a series of yet unsolved robberies where firearms were used resulting in the shooting of a child recently.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) last week conceded resource challenges in arresting runaway crime, particularly robberies occurring daily in that area about four kilometres from the Beitbridge main police station.
Police blamed darkness in Kwalu as the area is not connected to the electricity grid.
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“It should be the concern of any local authority when its residents fall prey to crime and we have noted with concern several incidents of armed robberies in Kwalu suburb and other areas. If we have bases there, it will obviously have an impact on police presence and patrols,” the town clerk added.
In reaction to the latest spate of crime, residents have been unkind to police accusing them of not doing their core business.
According to sources, there are complaints about corrupt deployments to Beitbridge where police officers pay their way to be posted to the border town where they extort the travelling public.
