Roadblocks surveillance ready for launch

HOME Affairs Minister Dr Ignatius Chombo will soon launch a police centralised traffic system to reduce roadblocks and corruption.

Home Affairs Deputy Minister Obedingwa Mguni told senators last week that through the system most of the issues would be electronically managed.

"We are scaling down roadblocks to that number because we have done our work on the integration side, whereby VID, Zinara, et cetera we must integrate. Hon Minister Chombo will be making a groundbreaking ceremony at a place which we call Electronic Traffic Management System. Most of the things will be electronically managed. Even the police at the roadblocks will not carry books, it is a gadget similar to a cellphone where if the driver does not put a belt, you now punch the code and that receipt is also printed in the traffic management system centre," said Cde Mguni.

"This means that we are trying to eradicate corruption from our own police officers so that everything is transparent and accountable. Everybody will see a change, we want the easy ways of doing business. We want traffic flow; a lot of people now think that police is hindering the easy ways of doing business in Zimbabwe."

He did not state exactly when the new system would be launched, but explained the difference between spot checks and roadblocks.

The Deputy Minister said spot-checks are ‘roadblocks' mounted in and around the city by police and motorists have expressed concern over their closeness to each other.

Standard roadblocks are mounted with drums, boom gates, warning lights to show that there are police ahead.

"We have got what we call spot checks, whereby police patrol an area and come up with a conclusion that, that area is a hot spot. When we call an area a hot spot, it is an area where crimes and accidents usually happen.

Then the Commissioner General has powers to plan when to put those spot checks but spot checks are not permanent. Spot checks can last for thirty minutes or six hours," he said.

The Deputy Minister said the time spent on spot-checks varies due to security considerations.

He told senators that the move to reduce the roadblocks was necessitated by complaints that they were disturbing tourism.

"We have been receiving a lot of complaints on too many roadblocks around the country where people were alleging that it is disturbing tourism. Some people were saying roadblocks are delaying school children to get to schools. Some came late to work saying they were delayed by these roadblocks," said Cde Mguni.

He said the issue was discussed in Cabinet and it was decided to scale them down to four standard roadblocks per province.