By A Correspondent
Zimbabwe, Gweru. (News Of The South) – The corruption fight in the Zimbabwe Republic Police force (ZRP) has gone a gear up as police are now policing each other.
An alert Assistant Inspector in Gweru intercepted three officers that had mounted a fake roadblock after seeing them receiving bribes from commuter omnibus crews.
Good cop Asst Insp, Brighton Mutsindikwa, caught the three cops on Tuesday morning and discovered $95 on them which they could not account for as it was not receipted.
It is law that police officers should declare their personal funds before going to man a roadblock.
The three officers Constables Leonard Matende, Takesure Moyo of Nehanda police Station and Alfred Tswatswa of Mtapa Police station were detained in police holding cells at Mtapa police station for contravening paragraph 34 of the schedule to the Police Act Chapter 11:10 as read with section 2 (iii) Part LXXI of the Criminal Penalties Amendment number 22/01.
They were supposed to appear in court on Tuesday but court officials returned the matter to the police because one of the accused, Const Matende, was initially not included as one of the accused.
According to the charge sheet seen by News of The South, the three constables were manning a roadblock along City – Mkoba road near Mtapa Cemetery at around 10AM.
They were in the company of three other police officers as they stopped commuter omnibuses plying the City–Mkoba via Mambo route.
Kombi conductors would disembark from their vehicles and handover an undisclosed amount of money to Cst Moyo before leaving.
Ass Insp Mutsindikwa, who was in the company of one Misheck Mutindi, when he noted suspected that there was something sinister going on and proceeded to the roadblock where they confronted Cst Moyo.
Ass Insp Mutsindikwa discovered that Cst Moyo had only receipted cash amounting to $30 in the Z69J book (ticket book) but had an extra $95 whose source he failed to explain.
According to police regulations, officers should declare all their valuables including cash before they are deployed to road duties.
It is alleged that while Ass Insp Mutsindikwa was searching Cst Moyo, Cst Tswatswa and a Cst Marahwi, who were also manning the roadblock disappeared from the scene but later returned claiming that the $ 95 that Cst Moyo had had been receipted in another book.
Ass Insp Mutsindikwa informed his superiors who then took the suspects to Mtapa police station where Cst Tswatswa confessed of hiding some of the money in the ladies toilet.
The three were then detained pending disciplinary hearing.
“The three went for disciplinary hearing on Wednesday and were expected to appear before the Court on Monday for criminal abuse of office,” said a source.
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