DC: ‘Boda boda’ may be useful in combating crime

Longido. Police have  shown keen interest in working with motorcyclists  in the war against crime.

Longido District Commissioner Ernest Kahindi said the motorcyclists, commonly known as ‘boda boda’, can be useful in the fight against crime,  though they are often accused of being perpetrators of robberies. 

At a seminar organised for ‘boda boda’ in the district, Mr Kahindi said the mostly youthful could be useful sources of information for law enforcement agents.

“Crime, especially armed robberies, can be contained if we use the ‘boda boda’ riders as informers on the movements of suspected criminals,” the DC said in a speech read on his behalf by police officer commanding the district (OCD) John Hagu.

The seminar was organised by a non-governmental organisation called Anti-Poverty and Development Care (Apec). It involved 134 motorcycle riders from Longido town.

The training programme, also being undertaken in other regions around the country, is aimed to reduce road accidents, whose rise in recent years, has been blamed on recklessness and ignorance among the motorcyclists. 

Those who finish the training are given certificate of attendances.

“Boda boda riders are conversant with movements of criminals because some of them pose as passengers. We believe they can give us valuable information on their movements,” the DC said.

Mr Kahindi said the government has licenced  motorcyclists to carry passengers because it was an income-generating activity.

While the ‘boda boda’ business provides a source of income for tens of thousands of youth across the country, there have been concerns over the rising cases of criminals using motorcyles.

Some of the criminals in many parts of the country pose as  ‘boda boda’targeting passengers, especially at night.

Meanwhile, the DC has requested the traffic police to allow commuter motocyclists  who have completed the training to use the certificates of attendance they get at the end of the programme as licences. 

Speaking at the same event, Apec director Respicious Timanywa decried the increasing number of fatal road accidents which he attributed to unlicensed motorcycle riders.

The same ‘boda boda’ training was recently conducted in Manyara Region where authorities are also complaining of high accident rates involving the bikers.  

During the training, Babati District Commissioner Crispin Meela said ‘boda boda’ has turned out to be one of the most risky businesses in the country due to high accident rates. The DC blamed it on the abuse of  alcohol by the riders. 

In Kilimanjaro Region, at least 120 ‘boda boda’ riders from Moshi District benefited from the two-week course,  which was conducted in Himo township.

According to the study conducted by Motorcycle Integrated Development Agency (Mida) in 2014, nearly one third of road fatalities in the country involve motorcycles.

The study indicated that at least 1,200 people lose their lives a year from accidents involving motor bikes. 

But that has not stopped thousands of young men who are increasingly jumping on ‘boda bodas’ each year – even as concern grows over their safety and security record. According to government figures, in 2003 Tanzania imported 1,884 private motorcycles. In 2014, 185,110 private motorcycles were imported – most of them for boda boda operations.