Use technology to improve highway policing

THE high prevalence of police roadblocks was beginning to give a bad name, not only to the force, but also our country. Locals had long complained over that. It got worse when even foreigners travelling into and around the country by road started voicing their concern, nay anger, at the inordinately high number of the police checkpoints.

There is potential that the roadblocks would ultimately scare away foreign tourists after a survey by the Zimbabwe National Statistical Agency (Zimstat) established that the visitors felt harassed by the increasing police presence on the country’s roads. Apart from scaring away tourists, there was potential too that the roadblocks could undermine the Government’s agenda to improve the ease of doing business.

It is common for a motorist travelling from Harare to Victoria Falls or Beitbridge to Harare or Mutare to Victoria Falls to be stopped by police at as many as 24 roadblocks. While the high number of the checkpoints is a big issue, the conduct of some police officers deployed at these places angered road users particularly as they (cops) took them as opportunities to extract bribes and threaten motorists, not for official policing.

But Home Affairs Minister Dr Ignatius Chombo, speaking at a Press conference in Harare yesterday, said Government appreciated the public complaints over the matter and a decision had been made to reduce the checkpoints.

“Let me assure you that my ministry is working on a number of initiatives to find lasting solutions to this problem. May I also appeal to the nation to bear in mind that roadblocks are an important tool for the Zimbabwe Republic Police to maintain law and order.

“As the Ministry of Home Affairs, through the Zimbabwe Republic Police command structure, we are working on rationalising the number of roadblocks on our roads as a short-term solution to people’s complaints.”

About 50 percent of respondents who participated in the Zimstat visitor exit survey (VES) felt they were being harassed on our roads. The survey involved 38 680 foreign tourists over a 12-month period between 2015 and November 2016.

Indeed, the heavy presence of police on the roads angered some among us, but to an extent they exposed a few deficiencies in the national road policing approach, one which relies too much on physical deployment of officers. Many countries are moving towards hustle-free, smarter yet effective policing methods that rely on modern technology, which Dr Chombo alluded to yesterday.

He said the police force, pursuant to its mandate of maintaining law and order, as enshrined in Section 219 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, continued to harness modern technologies in its endeavour to offer world class services as well as ensuring transparency and accountability in all its engagements.

“In this regard, the Zimbabwe Republic Police in November 2016 signed a private-public partnership deal with Univern Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd culminating in the establishment of an electronic traffic management system.

“The major aim of this system is to improve service delivery through the provision of transparent and accountable traffic enforcements, curb vehicle theft, bring sanity to our roads, curb corruption and above all, automate traffic enforcements,” he said.

He said the electronic traffic management system had already linked the Vehicle Theft Squad to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Developments entities such as the Vehicle Inspection Department and Central Vehicle Registry under the Zimbabwe Transport Information System platforms and tollgates.

He said this linkage would enable traffic stations, police roadblocks, tollgates, ports of entry and mobile patrols to interact and make online queries to verify the status of suspect vehicles.

“Links to the sub-regional police database on stolen motor vehicles will now be possible through linkage with the Interpol (1-24/7) communication system. We believe that once this system is fully operational the number of roadblocks will be greatly reduced and most of the concerns from the general public will be addressed,” Dr Chombo said.

The public waits with much interest to see how the force will implement the new policing approach.

But as we do this, we are mindful of the fact that no policing method is 100 percent effective. We therefore look forward to an integrated system that Dr Chombo spoke about, bringing together the advantages brought by the continued police physical presence on the highways (in fewer numbers and at fewer checkpoints, of course) and that of contemporary technology. We hope that the Government-Univern Enterprises deal materialises as soon as possible for this policing framework to be implemented.

The use of technology will obviously have financial implications in terms of procurement of the equipment, setting it up along key highways and training of personnel to use and operate it.

This will demand money in an environment where police have been complaining of being poorly resourced. We sympathise with them, but every innovation designed to improve discharge of duties always costs money.

However, the one that Dr Chombo spelt out yesterday is an investment whose time has arrived.

This should be more effective in accounting for criminal activity on the roads without alienating and inconveniencing law abiding citizens and wellmeaning foreign tourists who deserve their freedom of movement and freedom from harassment.