POLICE have raised alarm over the continued involvement of soldiers and cops in armed robberies in Bulawayo and other parts of the country.
Although President Emmerson Mnangagwa has warned security personnel against taking part in criminal activities and vowed to use ruthless means to deal with them, reports indicate otherwise.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi on Friday appealed to members of the public to expose the uniformed forces involved in criminal activities.
“Some robberies are linked to members of the security services in the country,” Nyathi told Southern Eye in an interview on Friday.
“We have arrested some members of the security services involved in armed robberies. Others were shot dead.
“We are aware that people in Bulawayo are worried about these armed robberies.
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“I advise citizens to adopt the same method they have been using in providing us with tip-offs.”
Critics have said members of the uniformed forces are engaging in criminal activities to make ends meet because their salaries cannot sustain them.
Soldiers and police officers according to law are not allowed to go on strike.
As such, because their salaries are no different from those of their colleagues in the civil service, some engage in criminal activities from hard crime to petty theft.
In June 2022, a Zimbabwe National Army member appeared in court for stealing cereal from a tuckshop. During the late former President Robert Mugabe’s era when Zimbabwe experienced world-record inflation in 2008, the government resorted to slaughtering elephants to feed soldiers in barracks.
Under President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the situation remains dire for soldiers and police officers.