Traffic cops target US$80 000 per day in fines

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Highway Patrol is reported to have acquired new state of the art BMW vehicles which they are using to harass commuter omnibus crews with.

The cash strapped police force acquired 40 top-of- the-range BMW vehicles worth over R20 million from a South Africa-based automobile company. Another 25 Ford Ranger trucks and 436 bicycles were also acquired.

The BMW 335i vehicles were purchased from Instrumentation for Traffic Law Enforcement (PVT) Ltd and would be used by the police National Traffic Unit for highway patrols and other duties. The vehicles are fitted with state-of-the-art equipment that includes a video camera that records for 40 hours continuously, speed calculation machine and a communication radio.

Pressure group Bulawayo Agenda says “reports are that each vehicle is tasked to raise US$2000 a day, since this Matabeleland Region was given 5 vehicles it means that the ZRP are banking almost $10 000 a day,” in the Matabeleland region alone. Countrywide the target in fines has been set to

“Last month, traffic police went on an operation to raise money to buy the vehicles. There are 40 of them countrywide. However, the vehicles are not expected to last long as their drivers are always speeding after taxi drivers. People are complaining that buying the vehicles is a waste of resources,” the pressure group said.

Police drivers are said to be the most reckless drivers and because of that their vehicles do not last long. First, there were the Santana vehicles which were bought for the service, followed by the Defenders and then the Mazda B1800 which did not last their lifespan.

A lot of Zimbabweans have been left asking themselves whether material used to make police vehicles is of sub standard quality compared to that of civilian cars as their vehicles do not last long.