BULAWAYO residents of Sunninghill suburb have collaborated to add a fifth car to their patrol vehicle fleet under Hillside Police Station after realising that the cars available are not enough for the 487m2 crime watch patrols undertaken in the area.
Criminals are targeting infrastructure including electricity transformers, copper cables and circuit breakers, while cases such as unlawful entry, muggings, rape, loitering and criminal nuisance are making the neighbourhood unsafe.
The crimes birthed the patrollers and co-ordinators who are responsible for guarding the streets and making sure there is peace and tranquility in the area.
Speaking during the unveiling ceremony of the vehicle, Hillside Police Station officer-in-charge Chief Inspector Precious Simango applauded the residents for fighting crime in the area.
“I want to applaud you residents of Sunninghill, for continuing to fight crime. If you work together as a team, you’ll find that even the criminals who want to come to your place will fail, but if you are somebody who wants to always look for mistakes, you always find the mistakes,” Simango said.
“And there’s a case which happened a few days ago, in Burnside, where a lady was attacked and robbed in her house.
“I want to advise you that if anything happens or you hear a sound outside, please do not go outside. Phone your neighbour, the station or somebody to come and assist you so that you don’t risk being attacked.”
Speaking on behalf of the Officer Commanding Bulawayo province Wicklef Makamache, Bulawayo Suburban District commander Superintendent Lameck Nyamhunga said the dedication displayed by the residents in the fight against drug and substance abuse made policing easy.
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“I would like to acknowledge and appreciate local residents for investing time, energy and material resources towards patrolling streets alongside the police, your commitment is, indeed, valuable,” Nyamhunga said.
“This event comes at a time when the nation is grappling with drug and substance abuse, as well as violent crimes; as you go about your routines, citizens are encouraged to take note and anonymously pass information that may assist the police to arrest and prosecute criminals.”
Sunninghill chairperson Clement Malaba, however, expressed concern over lack of co-operation among residents.
“If all members paid the money on a monthly basis, come December, we could have bought the car in 2023. Unfortunately, the number started declining, people raising questions here and there,” he said.
“So, we finally decided that, with what we have, we could go ahead and buy the car. We bought a car that we did not want.”
