News / National
Police ministry defends police roadblocks
18 May 2012 at 05:21hrs | Views
THE Ministry of Home Affairs has defended police roadblocks, saying they are part of measures to contain accidents.
The ministry's permanent secretary, Mr Melusi Matshiya, said Government asked traffic police to co-ordinate their activities to avoid too many and unnecessary roadblocks that inconvenience motorists.
He was giving oral evidence before a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home Affairs on Monday.
"They are a necessity, otherwise there would be carnage," he said.
"There have been complaints on the number of roadblocks. We have listened."
The committee is chaired by Mount Darwin East MP Cde Dickson Mafios (Zanu-PF).
Legislators also wanted to know what Government was doing to curb corruption involving traffic police officers.
In his response, Mr Matshiya said equipping police with requisite gadgets will go a long way in reducing police presence on the roads.
Police, he said, must be physically present in most cases, something other countries like South Africa have moved away from as their system is computerised.
Mr Matshiya said the police needed at least 15 000 vehicles to provide optimal service.
He said improving their conditions of service was also one way of containing corruption. Asked to comment on the heavy-handedness of some police officers who smashed windscreens of commuter omnibuses, Mr Matshiya said some drivers did not take heed of police instructions at roadblocks.
"One incident that I have witnessed was when a motorist was asked to stop, but he didn't care an iota, he just flashed and proceeded. What do you expect the police to do?" said Mr Matshiya.
He said police smashed windscreens of kombis because the drivers would have defied instructions to stop.
"If one resists arrest, the police are empowered to use appropriate minimum force, but, you see, just like in a fight, kana munhu akakurirwa akarohwa chematsenganzungu, he complains," he said.
Mr Matshiya denied reports that roadblocks were prevalent because police officers are given targets in terms of revenue they should collect in fines.
"I am not aware of police officers who have been punished for failing to meet any targets," he said.
On corruption, Officer Commanding Traffic Senior Assistant Commissioner Martin Chari said when traffic police officers are deployed, details of how much money they have and their phones are recorded and they will be searched on return from the roadblocks.
"Our instruction to them is that when they stop a car, they should arrest and their conversation should be heard by everyone in the car," he said.
Snr Asst Comm Chari was responding to comments from legislators that conductors of commuter omnibuses disembark when stopped and go to a police officer who will be a distance from the rest where the bribe is believed to take place, away from the public.
He said while they have endeavoured that every police officer should have a baton stick, in other countries baton sticks have been substituted by guns.
The ministry's permanent secretary, Mr Melusi Matshiya, said Government asked traffic police to co-ordinate their activities to avoid too many and unnecessary roadblocks that inconvenience motorists.
He was giving oral evidence before a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home Affairs on Monday.
"They are a necessity, otherwise there would be carnage," he said.
"There have been complaints on the number of roadblocks. We have listened."
The committee is chaired by Mount Darwin East MP Cde Dickson Mafios (Zanu-PF).
Legislators also wanted to know what Government was doing to curb corruption involving traffic police officers.
In his response, Mr Matshiya said equipping police with requisite gadgets will go a long way in reducing police presence on the roads.
Police, he said, must be physically present in most cases, something other countries like South Africa have moved away from as their system is computerised.
Mr Matshiya said the police needed at least 15 000 vehicles to provide optimal service.
He said improving their conditions of service was also one way of containing corruption. Asked to comment on the heavy-handedness of some police officers who smashed windscreens of commuter omnibuses, Mr Matshiya said some drivers did not take heed of police instructions at roadblocks.
"One incident that I have witnessed was when a motorist was asked to stop, but he didn't care an iota, he just flashed and proceeded. What do you expect the police to do?" said Mr Matshiya.
He said police smashed windscreens of kombis because the drivers would have defied instructions to stop.
"If one resists arrest, the police are empowered to use appropriate minimum force, but, you see, just like in a fight, kana munhu akakurirwa akarohwa chematsenganzungu, he complains," he said.
Mr Matshiya denied reports that roadblocks were prevalent because police officers are given targets in terms of revenue they should collect in fines.
"I am not aware of police officers who have been punished for failing to meet any targets," he said.
On corruption, Officer Commanding Traffic Senior Assistant Commissioner Martin Chari said when traffic police officers are deployed, details of how much money they have and their phones are recorded and they will be searched on return from the roadblocks.
"Our instruction to them is that when they stop a car, they should arrest and their conversation should be heard by everyone in the car," he said.
Snr Asst Comm Chari was responding to comments from legislators that conductors of commuter omnibuses disembark when stopped and go to a police officer who will be a distance from the rest where the bribe is believed to take place, away from the public.
He said while they have endeavoured that every police officer should have a baton stick, in other countries baton sticks have been substituted by guns.
Source - TH
