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Stocktheft on the decrease

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STOCKTHEFT in the country declined by 15% in 2012 compared to the previous year where 13 531 cattle were stolen, a senior police officer said yesterday.

STOCKTHEFT in the country declined by 15% in 2012 compared to  the previous year where 13 531 cattle were stolen, a senior police officer said yesterday. Report by Obey Manayiti

Addressing hundreds of Mutare residents at Sakubva bus terminus during the Manicaland Crime Awareness campaign, Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) National Co-ordinator Anti-Stocktheft Assistant Commissioner Bernard Dumbura said 11 289 cattle were stolen in 2012 compared to 13 531 the previous year.

“Through sheer commitment to duty by the ZRP coupled with the unwavering support received from the community, the crime of stocktheft decreased. The number of cases reported in 2012 decreased to 5 509 from 6 269 in 2011. The number of cattle stolen in the year 2012 also decreased from 13 531 in 2011 to 11 289 in 2012,” Dumbura said, adding that 1 328 rustlers were arrested last year.

Dumbura said there was need to implement several strategies such as cattle branding and awareness campaigns to curb stocktheft.

Meanwhile, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba has urged the public to desist from committing crimes such as political violence.

In a speech read on her behalf by Senior Staff Officer Operations Assistant Commissioner Jimmy Kumalo at the same event yesterday, Charamba said police would not tolerate political violence during the forthcoming general elections.

She also urged the public to desist from crossing flooded rivers amid reports that 89 people have lost their lives due to drowning this year alone.