ZRP ripping off members of the public

The Zimbabwe Republic Police is apparently ripping off un knowing members of the public by charging them traffic fines of up to 200% higher than stipulated amounts.

Following wide circulation of the gazetted fines on social networks members of the public have expressed extreme shock at the way they have been ripped of by the police at road blocks. The traffic fines circulated on the media show that the minimum charge that a traffic offender can pay is $5 with the maximum being $20 but police offers appear never to be charging anything less than $10.

One offender who sent a copy of the "ticket" issue to him by police details from Donnington Police Station at a road block on the 9 km peg along Matopos Road shows that the offender was billed $10 for failing to display a current vehicle licence disk an offence which according to schedule attracts a $5 fine.

"I sent my wife to licence our vehicle in the morning and she did but forgot to stick the new disk on the windscreen. When we were stopped by the police we produced the licence disk and offered to quickly stick it on the vehicle which the officers refuse," said the man.

"After trying to reason with them that at least we had the disk the officers went on to say we have to pay a $20 fine for failing to display the licence disk. We unfortunately only had $10 on us and after over 20 minutes of being parked at the road block the officer came back with a another officer who he said was the manager at the road block and they told us to pay the $10 fine."

After seeing the list of fines on the internet the man contacted the police head quarters in Harare who confirmed by a Sergeant Mujuru that the offence only attracts a fine of $5 but the officers concerned could have exercised logic and not charged them since the new disk was immediately produced and was in the car. Bulawayo24 followed up the issue by calling Inspector Muhoni of the National Traffic Information Department who confirmed that the charged looked higher than stipulated though she could not affirm it as she was out of the office. She advised Bulawayo24 to follow up the issue with the nearest police station and confirm the schedule of fines.

On further investigation by Bulawayo24 an officer with the ZRP Traffic at Stops Camp in Bulawayo confirmed that indeed incidents of police officers over charging unknowing members of the public were existent in the force. According to the officer the issue came about following collection targets being enforced by the bosses at the police stations.

"When we go out to the roadblocks we are given a daily target of money that we must collect and bring to the station so to make up the target quickly we have no option but to over charge on the offences and our bosses are aware of that," revealed the officer.

The officer also says that police stations no longer remit monies collected from fines to national treasury the monies are retained by the respective police stations where they are used to pay for the station's expenses and incentives for the officers. The officer claims that the police posts therefore go flat out to collect as much revenue as they can.

In another revelation the officer said that some officers deliberately hike the fines to $20 instead of $5 in order to entice offenders to agree to bribes as the $20 will be unaffordable. He says that it is easier for an offender to part with a $5 to $10 bribe than opt to pay the $20 fine.

"In most cases officers deliberately tell offenders of fines of up to $20 and put up several offences to as much as $60 so that it looks more attractive for the offender to part with a $5 or $10 bribe and get away with it when actually the offender would have been liable to just a $5 fine," said the officer.

According to the officer most people fail to resist the police's charges as they will normally be threatened with arrest or impounding of the vehicle and end up paying the fines or bribes. Inspector Muhoni said that anyone who is made to pay a fine at a traffic roadblock and is not sure how much they should have paid should immediately take the admission of guilt receipt to the nearest police station and get confirmation if they had been rightfully charged. If over charged they can immediately get their money refunded. Sergeant Mujuru at the National Police Complaints also echoed Muhoni's sentiments saying that anyone who feels cheated has a right to call the National Complaints Hotline on 04 7036311 where their complaints will be attended to immediately.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police recently also set up a national whatsapp hotline where members of the public can register their complaints to the police via whatsapp. The ZRP National Whatsapp hotline number is +263782475000.

Traffic fines that are currently stipulated by government are as follows:

Failure to: Display current vehicle licence:

Produce documents within 7 days to Police:$5 Or Produce documents within 7 days to VID:$10

Licence vehicle registered vehicle-all classes :$10 Display registration mark and Number OR its illegible:$10 Notify change of ownership - 14 days: $10 No Number plate: $10 No rear Number plate light: $5 No Drivers licence: $20 No Insurance: $10
No white front reflectors: $5
No red read reflectors: $5
No red "T" on rear trailer :$10
Motor vehicle + Trailer longer than 8 Mt $5
No amber side reflectors @ 4mt - each : $5
No red triangles :$15
No horn- fail to use or abuse horn $10
No Stopping, No parking, no left or right turn: $5
Proceed against red robot:$20 Proceed against amber robot: $10
Encroach over white line at a robot: $10
Fail to stop at flash lights - Railway crossing :$20
Overtaking over solid white line:$20 Double parking:$5
Stop or park within 7.5 mt. of intersection :$15
Fail to give way to right uncontrolled intersection :$15
Cut corner when turning right: $10
Fail to: Signal - slow down, stop turn left or right:  $10
Stop - minor accident:$20

Stop - serious accident: court

No headlights: one headlight or no side lights: $5
No headlights or side lights: $10
Headlights causing dazzle: $15
No dip switch: $10
Foot brakes not working: $20
Hand brakes not working at all - max: $15
Unable to keep vehicle state when brake applied:$15
No windscreen wiper: $5
Windscreen not providing clear un distorted vision:$10
No exhaust silencer:$10
Inefficient exhaust silencer: $5
Causing excessive smoke:$10
Leaks of oil and fuel onto road: $5
Dangerous tyre - canvas showing - per tyre: $5

Axles Loading:
1-50: $10
51-200: $15
201-400: $20 + 400: court

No Safety belt $5
Spit in or from vehicle $5
Discard rubbish from vehicle $5
Abusive behaviour $10

Speeding - extra kph
6-15: $5
16-25: $10
26-35: $15
36-50: $20 50+:court

Production of documents 7 days
Fail to produce: Documents $5
Drivers licence $20
Insurance $5
Registration book to VID $10