Last week, the Zimbabwe Republic Police approached Norton residents at a meeting where the police were appealing for money and resources to renovate Norton Police Station. However, their appeals fell on deaf ears as the residents were not moved by their situation.
The residents were not happy about the conduct of the local police officers who they accused of extorting them through road blocks. The officers have allegedly set up a 24-hour roadblock at Karina, and according to the residents, no car passes at this road block without paying a spot fine, no matter the condition of the car.
Some of the residents, who spoke to New Zimbabwe said:
I stood my ground at the meeting and challenged them to make use of spot fines they demand from us for all what they were asking the community to help them with.
If this money they collect is well accounted for, the police station can build hostels for its staff and renovate their canteen without involving any stakeholder,
However, Norton Legislator Temba Mliswa said the current situation was unhealthy as the community and the police needed each other and promised to look into the situation.
It is important that the police and the community co-exist in any society because they both need each other because a crime free community is the one that develops.
I know that communities or citizens, not only in Norton, have their issues with the police which to my view come from the way our police conduct their duties, but to me it’s not the behaviour of the police which needs to be challenged but the system which has made them cashiers or tax collectors as opposed to being law enforcers.
Temba Mliswa,
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