By Gay Matambo
POLICE in Chiredzi have turned to Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), to deal with criminal activities in the wake of revelations that crime has gone up by more than 10% in the area.
This was brought to the fore during the handover of an office block to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), in Chiredzi by Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe.
ZRP Assistant Commissioner Shelton Dube who is responsible for Administration in Masvingo Province gave an insight into the sharp increase of criminal cases in the Chiredzi district between January and October this year.
“During the period from 1 January to 31 October 2022, the district recorded a total of 3 889 criminal cases of which 13 were murders, 9 armed robberies, 261 stock theft cases, and 684 unlawful entry theft cases. The district recorded an increase in crime by 11% when compared to the same period in 2021,” he said.
The new office block is expected to provide a decent working environment for police officers.
“The 12-roomed office block will be used to decongest the current offices which housed 68 officers. The budgeted cost of the project was approximately US$36 000 with ZRP making provisions for builders, project supervision and all legal requirements for the project, “said Dr Dahlia Garwe, Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe Corporate and Industry Affairs Executive.
The Second Republic is encouraging PPPs in all sectors of the economy to propel the country to an upper-middle-income society by 2030.
