BY BLESSED MHLANGA

HOME Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe has warned police officers connected to the illegal gold miners and notorious machete gangs that the long arm of the law will soon catch up with them.

Kazemba was speaking after visiting Morris Depot, where he came face-to-face with antiquated police equipment, which has been blamed for hindering efforts to effectively execute policing duties.

The minister said he was, however, proud of the police response in the ongoing war against the machete gangs, saying the gangs were now quacking in their boots.

“Thank you for the commitment you have shown so far given the challenges that you are facing. I know of late we have been having wars with the machete gangs and I am confident that wherever they are, they are quacking in their boots. We warn them that you cannot hide from the law. In Zimbabwe, there is no way you can hide from the law,” he said.

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Police officers, their relatives and spouses have allegedly been entering into unholy alliances with the machete gangs, forcing the commander of Support Unit to write a memorandum warning them to drop their new-found partners.

Kazembe warned the officers involved, saying their romance with machete gangs would be cut short by the long arm of the law.

“I hear a lot of people (are) also complaining that the police are involved. Well, I don’t know, maybe they are, but if they are, this is the right time to stop that. People look up to us to ensure that we maintain law and order, that we eliminate crime or at least curb it. So I hope that if there is anyone of us who is involved, listen to me: I am saying the long arm of the law will catch up and they should know better, they are officers,” Kazembe said.

Having seen the antiquated equipment used by police at Morris Depot, Kazembe said he would make efforts to ensure that they are upgraded and brought to speed with the new world order.

“I appreciate the need that the facilities we toured have to be up to scratch and up to standard to ensure that we come up with a proper policeman who is proud to be a Zimbabwean policeman. I must be open, I noticed a number of areas that need attention and my team here will do our utmost to ensure that we lobby for more resources, especially in certain areas. A good example is the factory shop, I noticed people are still using old equipment,” he said.