News / National
75% of plain robberies committed by Honda Fit drivers
18 Aug 2016 at 15:27hrs | Views
POLICE in Bulawayo have said 75 percent of plain robberies that occurred in the city in July were committed by drivers of pirating Honda Fit vehicles.
A total of 91 plain robbery cases were recorded in Bulawayo last month.
Plain robberies are crimes committed without using dangerous weapons such as guns.
Bulawayo acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Abednico Ncube urged members of the public to shun from boarding the Honda Fit as public transport.
Asst Insp Ncube said the police have intensified arrest of pirating Honda Fit drivers.
On Wednesday the police's Traffic West unit impounded 45 vehicles mostly Honda Fit vehicles and arrested six drivers for various crimes.
He said by using Honda Fits members of the public were exposing themselves to dangerous crimes.
"These Honda Fit vehicles are linked to the commission of dangerous crimes of concern to us as police. They're linked to robbery, rape and unlawful entry and theft cases happening in the city. Of the 91 robbery cases that were recorded in July, 75 percent have been linked to Honda Fit vehicle drivers," he said.
Asst Insp Ncube said members of the public are robbed while being taken home by the Honda Fit drivers.
"They usually target the last person on the vehicle. Instead of dropping them on their intended destination they drive the client to some secluded place where they rob and dumb them. It becomes difficult to trace their vehicles because most of them remove registration number plates," said Asst Insp Ncube.
He said some of the drivers who conduct door to door deliveries, to return to those premises to rob them.
"They conduct surveillance services in the pretext of door to door deliveries. After doing so they then inform their group who then go and break into those premises. We're having many cases of unlawful entries being linked to Honda Fit vehicles. Members of the public are now targeting softening instead of target hardening. Meaning they expose themselves to criminals through exposing their properties to these criminals," he said.
Asst Insp Ncube said Honda Fit drivers have become a menace in the city centre, especially along Robert Mugabe Way and 9TH Avenue where they have made driving difficult for other motorists.
He said police will continue to ridding the city's public transport sector of Honda Fit.
"As police we're mandated to uphold and safeguard members of the public. We're concerned when members of the public are putting their lives at risk," he said.
Asst Insp Ncube said concerted efforts are needed if police are to succeed in fighting crime.
He urged the public to report to the police any suspicious vehicles in their residential homes.
A total of 91 plain robbery cases were recorded in Bulawayo last month.
Plain robberies are crimes committed without using dangerous weapons such as guns.
Bulawayo acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Abednico Ncube urged members of the public to shun from boarding the Honda Fit as public transport.
Asst Insp Ncube said the police have intensified arrest of pirating Honda Fit drivers.
On Wednesday the police's Traffic West unit impounded 45 vehicles mostly Honda Fit vehicles and arrested six drivers for various crimes.
He said by using Honda Fits members of the public were exposing themselves to dangerous crimes.
"These Honda Fit vehicles are linked to the commission of dangerous crimes of concern to us as police. They're linked to robbery, rape and unlawful entry and theft cases happening in the city. Of the 91 robbery cases that were recorded in July, 75 percent have been linked to Honda Fit vehicle drivers," he said.
Asst Insp Ncube said members of the public are robbed while being taken home by the Honda Fit drivers.
"They usually target the last person on the vehicle. Instead of dropping them on their intended destination they drive the client to some secluded place where they rob and dumb them. It becomes difficult to trace their vehicles because most of them remove registration number plates," said Asst Insp Ncube.
He said some of the drivers who conduct door to door deliveries, to return to those premises to rob them.
"They conduct surveillance services in the pretext of door to door deliveries. After doing so they then inform their group who then go and break into those premises. We're having many cases of unlawful entries being linked to Honda Fit vehicles. Members of the public are now targeting softening instead of target hardening. Meaning they expose themselves to criminals through exposing their properties to these criminals," he said.
Asst Insp Ncube said Honda Fit drivers have become a menace in the city centre, especially along Robert Mugabe Way and 9TH Avenue where they have made driving difficult for other motorists.
He said police will continue to ridding the city's public transport sector of Honda Fit.
"As police we're mandated to uphold and safeguard members of the public. We're concerned when members of the public are putting their lives at risk," he said.
Asst Insp Ncube said concerted efforts are needed if police are to succeed in fighting crime.
He urged the public to report to the police any suspicious vehicles in their residential homes.
Source - chronicle
