Calm, peace reign: Zimbabwe Republic Police

[XXPANTHAXX]

Zimbabwe Herald Reporter

THERE has been general calm and peace in the country with
police arresting only 109 people for politically related
crimes ahead of the March 31 general election, Police
Commissioner Cde Augustine Chihuri said yesterday.

Of the 109, 16 have been convicted of various offences which
are largely not of a serious nature.

Cde Chihuri said the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) would
continue to apply the law unfailingly on any transgressors.

He said 67 Zanu-PF supporters have been arrested while the
MDC had 42 of its activists arrested, proving the falsity of
claims by the opposition that police were selectively
applying the law by targeting its supporters only.

Of the 16 people convicted, 13 are MDC supporters while three
are affiliated to Zanu-PF.

A total of 40 incidents of politically-related crimes have
been reported since last month with the ruling Zanu-PF
accounting for 23 cases and the MDC 17.

Zanu-PF supporters were arrested for breaching the Electoral
Act, malicious injury to property, arson, common assault,
conduct likely to breach peace and assault with intent to
cause grievous bodily harm (GBH).

MDC backers were arrested for assault (both common and GBH),
conduct likely to breach peace, contravening the Public Order
and Security Act (POSA) and public violence.

The police chief said the offences have been minor, contrary
to some media reports claiming that heightened violence had
flared ahead of the elections.

Most of the infringements of the law ranged from common
assault, malicious injury to property, miscellaneous offences
to infractions of the Electoral Act.

"As we move towards the March 31 parliamentary elections,
there are distortions that are already appearing in the
media, both here at home and internationally, with increasing
and sickening regularity," said Cde Chihuri.

"It could be for political expediency that peddlers of such
information sacrifice fact for fiction.

"Whatever the reasons, the ZRP’s core business remains
management of crime and we have vowed that we will carry out
this constitutional mandate without fear or favour." He said
it was surprising and shocking that some sections of the
local media felt comfortable with such headlines as "Violence
flares up" when the political environment was indicating
otherwise.

"It, therefore, remains wishful thinking by such pen pushers
who would rather have anarchy than peace and security," he
said.

Cde Chihuri commended POSA and the recently promulgated
Electoral Act, which, he said, were immensely helping the ZRP
in executing its duties.

He castigated people who have criticised POSA as a draconian
law, saying some of them had gone on to spread false claims
that other countries did not have legislation for the
maintenance of public order.

"Nothing could be further from the truth. POSA is a similar
piece of legislation to laws found in Britain, America and
other countries though, of course, the Acts are called by
different names in the respective countries."

Cde Chihuri reiterated the need for convenors of political
gatherings to notify the police as required by section 24 of
POSA, pointing out that even the Speaker of Parliament, Cde
Emmerson Mnangagwa, was actually complying with that
provision.

Cde Mnangagwa is the Zanu-PF candidate for Kwekwe
constituency.

"The accusations that this piece of legislation was designed
for any one political party are false. Are all political
parties not holding rallies countrywide as we speak?
Participants must not pile their shortcomings on the ZRP or
the law," he said.

The police chief said it was an offence for anyone to paste
posters without the authority of the owner of the building or
wall.

He commended candidates and political leaders of both major
political parties for advising their supporters to refrain
from violence.

Cde Chihuri highlighted statements recorded from Zanu-PF and
MDC candidates at rallies urging their supporters to desist
from violence.

The chairperson of Police Elections Committee, Senior
Assistant Commissioner Mary Masango, would be holding Press
briefings on Tuesdays and Fridays every week for a smooth
flow of information until a reasonable time after the
elections, said Cde Chihuri.

President Mugabe has repeatedly called for zero tolerance to
violence ahead of the elections.

The Secretary for Information and Publicity in the Office of
the President and Cabinet, Cde George Charamba, attended the
Press conference.

Cde Charamba at the weekend dismissed a story carried by a
weekly newspaper, The Standard, which claimed that violence
had flared in the country as the crucial election approaches.