THIS week police have recorded and acted swiftly on several theft cases centred on aggravated robbery.
It is safe to say that crime does not pay, the recent reports out of Nakonde where a man was arrested with cash believed to have been stolen the previous day should act as a stern warning to those planning on having sweet where they did not sweat.
Unfortunately, another robbery case involving the heist of copper cathodes saw an innocent man being fatally assaulted.
The co-driver was killed by unknown assailants as the truck was marooned at Danger Hill in Mpika.
On a positive note, an arrest has already been made. Unfortunately it is a community leader that has been picked to help with investigations.
Muchinga Province Police Commissioner Joe Njase confirmed the arrest of a village head man to the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Mpika.
Commissioner Njase explained that the driver of the truck left the vehicle being guarded by Peter Chikasa after it had broken down , and left for Tanzania to look for a spare part, when he returned, he found that Chikasa was murdered and copper stolen from the truck.
“What happened is that the headman organised two unknown persons currently at large to help the deceased guard a truck, but when the driver of a truck Abel Nkatalo a Tanzanina national came back, he found Chibululying dead in the nearby bush and some bundles of copper stolen,” Commissioner Njase explained.
The police have since warned that they will clamp down on these ambitious gangsters who seem set on using anarchy and violence to get rich quick without any consideration to human life.
There have been media reports of police and customs officials intercepting illegal consignments of gold, mealie meal and even alcoholic beverages.
We applaud Zambia Police and the Zambia Revenue Authority for the vigilance in ensuring our national coffers benefit from above the board business transactions.
There should be no short cuts to wealth, and worse still a short cut that involves the destruction of businesses or the ending of a life. The fact that Zambia is land-linked, means that we remain heavily dependent international trade and we must assure security on the roads and in the business areas.
Staging day light robbery in high traffic central business areas poses a dangerous threat if such behaviour is allowed to take root.
Members of the public must remain vigilant and continue to cooperate with the police and security wings in ensuring that criminal minds are stopped in their tracks.
