The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) is set to deploy drones in and around Harare’s Central Business District to support the newly introduced Electronic Traffic Management System (ETMS) in identifying traffic offenders.
The move comes as public transport operators, particularly kombi drivers and illegal taxis (mushikashika), continue to contribute to chaotic traffic conditions in cities and towns across the country.
Common offences include picking up and dropping off passengers at unauthorised spots, creating illegal lanes, driving against the flow of traffic, ignoring stop signs, and operating without the required public service permits.
ZRP spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said drones will be launched from Harare Central Police Station to monitor and pinpoint suspected offenders. He said:
It is not just a unique system which is working in isolation. It is also integrated in the drone facility, which the Zimbabwe Public Police has also introduced.
Now we have got drones at Harare Central Police Station. We have drones which can monitor as far as even, you know, 5km, 10km to 20km away.
For example, while it is at Harare Central, we can monitor what happens at Market Square. We can monitor what happens at Rotten Row. We can monitor what happens even at the Showground and also even at the other side of the town.
So what it entails is, yes, the electronic traffic management system is there and effective. It can also be supported and aided by this drone facility
Commissioner Paul Nyathi revealed that 290 motorists recently flagged for various traffic violations captured by surveillance cameras in Harare have been identified and fined.
He added that the police also operate a CCTV monitoring facility covering Bulawayo’s Central Business District, and plans are underway to begin publicising traffic offenders caught on camera in Bulawayo as well.
More: The Herald
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