Dar police plan to curb rise in robberries

Dar es Salaam. Police will deploy detectives in major financial institutions to keep an eye on activities within and outside banks to curb rising cases of robberies in the city.

The aim is to establish the source of such incidents and enable police to respond in time, according to new Dar es Salaam Special Police Zone Commander Simon Sirro.

Mr Sirro told The Citizen yesterday in his office that motorcyclists (bodaboda) would not be allowed to park near banks. Bank customers who  withdraw money have been robbed of cash and police believe that some unscrupulous bank employees have been working in cahoots with criminals.

There has been an increase in gun attacks in recent days on bank customers after withdrawing money. The gangsters escape by using bodaboda.

The victims have been either killed or injured and have their money stolen.

Crime using bodaboda has been rising in the city with criminals posing as genuine bodaboda operators to rob people of their belongings.

Some pose as passengers to rob bodaboda of their motorcycles.

Organised motorcycle gangs operating in Dar es Salaam and elsewhere in the country have been reported to be behind the surge of crimes, including murders and armed robberies.

In some incidents, motorcyclists who could pass for any bodaboda operators in major urban centres have shot dead victims in cold blood, snatch  handbags from unsuspecting women and even splash  acid  on their victims.

Mr Sirro urged law-abiding people to furnish police with information that would help them in bringing the  culprits to book. He declared war against criminals. “We bank mostly on people to share legitimate information with us whenever crimes happen.”

He said police had started an operation to question bodaboda operators to crosscheck ownership documents and other related important papers.

He said the rising crime involving bodaboda poses a challenge to police. Just last week, a man was shot dead shortly after withdrawing Sh10 million from a bank in Dar es Salaam, causing fear.

Suspicion has been high that some unethical bankers have been conniving with criminals to rob customers of their money.

According to him, he will ensure police officers abide by General Orders for the public to trust them.

On drugs, Mr Sirro said police wanted to come up with an operation to arrest the big fish.

He said the business was growing as the city was expanding and the number of people, local and foreign, was increasing.

“We are determined to deal with drug traffickers at all costs and as I am telling you we have already put in place measures on how the operation will work.” 

He urged law-abiding people to cultivate a culture of  reporting to police especially when they notice suspicious goings-on,  stressing, too, the  need for establishing community policing groups in every ward to combat crimes.

“There are a  few police officers in the country and criminals also understand this. Therefore they have been using this loophole to commit crimes in various places especially in the outskirts of  the city.”