News / Local
Bulawayo offers land to police
14 Oct 2015 at 06:29hrs | Views
THE Bulawayo City Council has offered police a 200 square metre piece of land for the construction of a base to serve Mahatshula suburb. This follows a request by Queens Park Police Station to set up a base in the area.
According to the latest council report, the director of engineering services received an application from the police for a site to set up a base at Mahatshula. The town planning committee approved the application, saying the police base will benefit the community.
"The police base would go a long way in assisting the residents of Mahatshula in improving security in the neighbourhood. The site applied for was reserved for public buildings as such there would be no town planning objections to the proposal," read the report.
Mahatshula suburb is one of the fastest growing medium-density suburbs in the city. Its residents have often complained about the long distance to the nearest police station at Queens Park.
The acquisition of the land by police comes barely a week after they opened another base at Riverside suburb.
The police base at Riverside's Bobs Garage was opened in reaction to an increase in crimes perpetrated against National University of Science and Technology (Nust) students who are being mugged while coming from doing their studies at night.
Nust students were being terrorised by robbers with some of them being raped, losing their laptops, cellphones and other valuables.
The police Business Against Crime Forum of Zimbabwe (BACFOZ) Bulawayo Suburban District funded the project.
BACFOZ chairperson, Ishmael Jassat said: "In response to the escalating figures in crimes perpetrated against university students, travelling after hours in the Nust vicinity and its neighbouring suburbs, as well as an increase in cases of unlawful entry and theft and for the protection, reassurance and convenience of the public we adopted the initiative to establish a police post at Bobs Service Station."
A Nust student applauded the police for the initiative saying this will deter criminals from attacking students.
"We always risk losing our laptops to thieves and I believe this police base will reduce criminal activities,' said Enesy Shava.
According to the latest council report, the director of engineering services received an application from the police for a site to set up a base at Mahatshula. The town planning committee approved the application, saying the police base will benefit the community.
"The police base would go a long way in assisting the residents of Mahatshula in improving security in the neighbourhood. The site applied for was reserved for public buildings as such there would be no town planning objections to the proposal," read the report.
Mahatshula suburb is one of the fastest growing medium-density suburbs in the city. Its residents have often complained about the long distance to the nearest police station at Queens Park.
The acquisition of the land by police comes barely a week after they opened another base at Riverside suburb.
Nust students were being terrorised by robbers with some of them being raped, losing their laptops, cellphones and other valuables.
The police Business Against Crime Forum of Zimbabwe (BACFOZ) Bulawayo Suburban District funded the project.
BACFOZ chairperson, Ishmael Jassat said: "In response to the escalating figures in crimes perpetrated against university students, travelling after hours in the Nust vicinity and its neighbouring suburbs, as well as an increase in cases of unlawful entry and theft and for the protection, reassurance and convenience of the public we adopted the initiative to establish a police post at Bobs Service Station."
A Nust student applauded the police for the initiative saying this will deter criminals from attacking students.
"We always risk losing our laptops to thieves and I believe this police base will reduce criminal activities,' said Enesy Shava.
Source - chronicle
