News / National
Chikurubi prison guard steals inmate's shoes
06 Oct 2013 at 05:06hrs | Views
A junior Zimbabwe Prison Service (ZPS) officer stationed at Chikurubi Maximum Prison is facing theft charges after he allegedly stole a pair of shoes belonging to an inmate at the correctional facility.
According to information gathered last week, the officer was apprehended by his superiors a fortnight ago after an inmate allegedly spotted him wearing the shoes while on duty.
Chief Prison Officer (CPO) Simon Kaondo confirmed the case, saying a team has been assigned to investigate the case.
"The ZPS has internal police who are now carrying out investigations with regards to the allegations that were raised against our junior officer.
"The investigations are still in progress, so it would be premature for us to judge based on the allegations raised by the inmate. Hence, the officer is still reporting for duty until he has been proven guilty.
"Disciplinary measures will be taken against him if he is found guilty."
Sources revealed that the officer was approached by two inmates who wanted to trade a pair of shoes with cartons of cigarettes. It is understood the officer acceded to the deal and carried his new acquisition home.
He then donned the "new shoes" on a particular day before heading for work. It was then that the inmate is said to have spotted the shoes, which had been missing for days.
He subsequently reported the matter to senior prison officers. A senior officer at the holding complex said the officer had breached provisions of the law which do not allow any form of trade between officers and inmates.
"The form of underhand dealings that took place between him and the inmate constitute a dismissible offence. What they did is called 'trafficking' and the law is very clear that an officer is not allowed to move goods between him and an inmate in and out of the prison illegally," said the senior officer.
According to information gathered last week, the officer was apprehended by his superiors a fortnight ago after an inmate allegedly spotted him wearing the shoes while on duty.
Chief Prison Officer (CPO) Simon Kaondo confirmed the case, saying a team has been assigned to investigate the case.
"The ZPS has internal police who are now carrying out investigations with regards to the allegations that were raised against our junior officer.
"The investigations are still in progress, so it would be premature for us to judge based on the allegations raised by the inmate. Hence, the officer is still reporting for duty until he has been proven guilty.
Sources revealed that the officer was approached by two inmates who wanted to trade a pair of shoes with cartons of cigarettes. It is understood the officer acceded to the deal and carried his new acquisition home.
He then donned the "new shoes" on a particular day before heading for work. It was then that the inmate is said to have spotted the shoes, which had been missing for days.
He subsequently reported the matter to senior prison officers. A senior officer at the holding complex said the officer had breached provisions of the law which do not allow any form of trade between officers and inmates.
"The form of underhand dealings that took place between him and the inmate constitute a dismissible offence. What they did is called 'trafficking' and the law is very clear that an officer is not allowed to move goods between him and an inmate in and out of the prison illegally," said the senior officer.
Source - sundaymail
