Scores arrested in Bulawayo for dealing in stolen goods

POLICE in Bulawayo have arrested scores of suspects following a spate of armed robbery, housebreaking and theft from vehicle cases.

In an interview yesterday, police spokesperson for Bulawayo, Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo said police in the city were taking a holistic approach in their fight against crime.

"We are dealing with the root, which is the criminals and the conduits who provide a market for their stolen goods. In that regard, we have arrested scores of people in stop and search operations in areas where there is a high number of reported cases. We have also arrested 36 people who run unregistered shops that deal in buying and selling electrical gadgets because we believe that these are some of the 'fences' that provide a ready market for stolen goods. We aim to stop both ends of the crime cycle to rid Bulawayo of crime," said Inspector Moyo.

He said all shop owners, especially those that deal in second hand goods, are required by the law to keep a record of goods they receive and sell, including the details of the people they trade with.

"This helps police to easily trace stolen goods using the records. We arrested shop owners who were not keeping such records, including those who did not have licences to operate," said Insp Moyo.

He said gadgets that included laptops, cameras, i-pads and cellphones had been recovered in the ongoing exercise.

He said suspects who had up to date registers but were operating without licences, were released after paying fines.

Insp Moyo said the rest would appear in court soon.

He said police had increased patrols in problem areas.

"We have arrested people who had burglary tools like bolt cutters andiron bars. We have also taken those who had weapons like iron bars into custody. Police have recovered a lot of goods that are suspected to have been stolen during the stop and search missions. Some other goods and gadgets would have been stolen from cars while others are from unlawful entry and theft cases," he said.

The police spokesperson warned residents that it was a crime to buy stolen goods and advised residents to use registered dealers who issue receipts, to avoid getting into trouble with the law.

"As long as there are people who buy these stolen goods, there will be people who do the stealing. Residents who fuel the practice will also one day, be victims of theft. We urge residents to play their part by refusing to buy goods from unregistered dealers," said Insp Moyo.

He urged resident to go to the Licence Inspectorate at the Drill Hall to identify recovered property, adding that residents should keep serial numbers of their goods or put secret marks on them to facilitate easy identification when police recovered goods.