Mnangagwa's police ready to swoop on illegal firearms holders

POLICE will soon swoop on all residential and business premises where they suspect illegal firearms and ammunition are stored.

This exercise will also see the law enforcement agents conducting physical checks and verifications of guns and ammunition in the country amid concerns of rising crimes that are being committed with dangerous weapons.

So far at least 144 unregistered firearms have been voluntarily surrendered to the police following the recent amnesty granted by President Mnangagwa.

Under the amnesty, those in possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, or who have these with expired licences, must surrender them without questions being asked.

If they voluntarily surrendered them to the Zimbabwe Republic Police by the end of next month, they will face no charges but thereafter those who will hang on to the illegal firearms will face the music.

In an interview, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed that they will soon be checking on their database, to track both those with licensed or unlicensed firearms.

"We will be conducting physical checks and verifications on all residential and business premises. We will be doing this by checking through our database all holders of firearms," he said.

Asst Comm Nyathi said through their database, they will check on addresses of all firearms owners before visiting to check whether people are complying with the law in terms of storage purposes so that the guns do not fall into the wrong hands.

He said they believe that some of the people who have not voluntarily surrendered their guns and ammunition are in illegal possession.

Some of them include those with unlicensed guns while others are still in possession of guns belonging to their dead relatives but do not want to surrender them.

The police suspect there are significant numbers of unlicensed weapons which were bought by businesses that have changed hands, that were owned by people who belonged to gun clubs and have given up the sport, or have been found among the effects of dead relatives.

Not only are these weapons unlicensed, but in many cases, without an active owner, are more likely to be stolen or misused.

The President granted the amnesty in line with Article 12 of the SADC Protocol on the control of firearms, ammunition, and related materials.

The amnesty even covers anyone who is in possession of any weapon which was smuggled or illegally brought into the country.

Police recently said those holding firearms should surrender them at their nearest stations between August 8 and September 30 and they will face no criminal charges while doing so.

The firearms should be surrendered to any nearest police station with the volunteer being given an official safe custody receipt to confirm that the weapon has indeed been taken over by the police officer at the local police station.

No criminal charges will be preferred to members of the public during this period as long as one complies with the provisions of the Presidential Amnesty.

Asst Comm Nyathi said it was disheartening that some licensed firearm holders are no longer renewing their firearm certificates or even notifying the authorities about the change in residential or business addresses to enable constant checks to be made by the police on the status of the firearms.

Police recently said that more registered firearm owners are abusing their guns countrywide and those who use their legal firearms for anything but what their licences state risk revocation of their licences and face arrest.

Asst Comm Nyathi said members of the public who possess firearms should comply with the law and stop carrying or displaying such firearms in public gatherings, shopping centres, service stations, and other public places.