Police blitz on cops who own kombis

POLICE have launched a countrywide operation to enforce Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri's directive that no police officer should run a public transport business.

Following an outcry by public transporters regarding rampant corruption by traffic cops, in the last week of January, Comm Gen Chihuri gave cops who owned kombis and taxis two months to get out of the transport business.
The ultimatum expires in two weeks.

About 80 vehicles, belonging to cops and unregistered operators have been impounded since the operation spread to Bulawayo of Friday.

Police sources said the operation started in Harare last week and was spreading to the rest of the country.

National traffic spokesman, Inspector Tigere Chigome, confirmed the exercise.

"I don't have the exact details about how the operation is progressing in Bulawayo but I can confirm that the existence of the. We are taking everything, whether the car belongs to a police officer or civilian, there is no room for negotiation," said Inspector Chigome.

Police are taking the operation seriously and the officer commanding national traffic Operations, Assistant Commissioner Shelton Dube, is in Bulawayo to personally oversee it.

Impounded vehicles are taken to Drill Hall for inspection by the Vehicle Theft Squad (VTS) before being taken to the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID).

Police are also checking vehicle registration after it emerged that most of the imported vehicles were not properly registered.

Transporters have been complaining about unregistered operators that include the police, who have been elbowing them out of business.