NEARLY 9 000 people have been arrested in Harare during the ongoing police blitz targeting foreign currency dealers, touts, drug dealers, vagrants, pirate taxis and motorists violating traffic regulations around the city.
The operation was launched to rid the capital of criminals and illegal activities, with authorities vowing to bring sanity back to the streets.
The crackdown was launched three weeks ago.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrests.
“The operation was aimed at maintaining law and order in the country, especially in Harare,” he said.
So far, a total of 1 643 pirate taxi drivers have been arrested with the vehicles impounded and taken to Rhodesville Police Station, Harare Central Police Station, Harare city council central stores and storage yards in Ardbennie and Milton Park.
At least 308 other motorists were also arrested for various traffic offences.
A total of 36 unregistered vehicles were impounded, 209 touts arrested while 1 784 cars were impounded for various infractions.
Comm Nyathi said the arrested touts were undergoing a screening process and repeat offenders would be taken to court.
Police also rounded up 91 vagrants whom they handed over to the Department of Social Welfare while 7 071 vendors were arrested and fined.
Also arrested were 29 illegal foreign currency dealers and 97 drug dealers. Most of them have since been taken to court.
“We are concerned about the way people are driving around the city violating traffic rules and regulations. We have also noted bad driving by people with company vehicles, especially during peak hours when they cause chaos,” Comm Nyathi said.
He said they will not hesitate to arrest the drivers and impound their vehicles.
“So far we have arrested a total of 8 971 people and the crackdown is continuing until there is sanity around the city,” Asst Comm Nyathi said.
The campaign against illegal money changers has also seen the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) freezing 90 bank accounts.
Police are working closely with FIU, the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, to arrest illegal money changers following the introduction of the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) currency on April 5.
Illegal money changers have been a menace on the country’s streets, flagrantly violating Section 14(1) of the Bank Use Promotion and Suppression of Money Laundering Act and the Exchange Control Act, which criminalises illegal dealing in foreign currency.
Early this month, 27 drug dealers, aged between 18 and 70 years and mostly involved in selling crystal meth, mbanje and BronCleer were convicted.
Last year, Government availed $500 million under the Drug and Substance Abuse Mitigation Fund as part of efforts by the Second Republic to speed up high-impact activities in the fight against the drug menace.
President Mnangagwa set up an Inter-Ministerial Taskforce on Drug and Substance Abuse as part of his administration’s efforts to arrest the scourge which remains a grave threat to the attainment of Vision 2030.
