Police roadblocks will not be reduced

The government yesterday said police roadblocks would not be reduced because the country did not have the necessary equipment to monitor major highways.

Home Affairs secretary Melusi Matshiya told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, police were justified in using force, including smashing of windscreens of public transport vehicles and shooting tyres to deflate them if drivers resisted arrest.

Deputy Prime Arthur Mutambara in March told Parliament that Cabinet had agreed that police must scale down on roadblocks, saying Zimbabwe was not a police State.

The statements followed an outcry over the number of roadblocks on the county's main roads where police were allegedly demanding bribes especially from public transporters.

But Matshiya, appearing before the committee to explain the proliferation of roadblocks said the measures were necessary to prevent accidents.

"Roadblocks are a necessity because it is part of policing and you cannot remove that element from the police otherwise there will be carnage and the police might end up using firearms, baton sticks or spikes," he said.

He singled out commuter omnibus drivers as major culprits disregarding road rules like driving through red robots, speeding and driving unroadworthy vehicles.

MPs alleged police manning roadblocks were corrupt and solicited for bribes.

Police have also come under fire for smashing screens of public transport vehicles, which has at times caused accidents.

Matshiya, however, defended police officers who use force when dealing with errant public transport drivers.

"There is no compensation for a person whose windscreen is smashed because that person would have infracted the laws of the country and in terms of the law if one resists arrest, the police are empowered to use appropriate force in terms of Posa (Public Order and Security Act)," Matshiya said.

"It is a question of a balancing act and people need to know that the police are there not to play games, but for a reason and that the police (force) is a constitutional department created with a necessity and people should view the police as individuals trying to help and not as villains."