News | Crimes soar by seven per cent

 

• Dodoma, Geita, Kagera, Mbeya, Tabora, the most notorious regions

CRIME rate in the country has soared by seven per cent, available statistics have shown.

Home Affairs Minister Mwigulu Nchemba told the National Assembly here yesterday that between July 2016 and March, this year, 2,470 murder cases were reported, with 2,532 people dead.

Most of the murderous cases were associated with cattle rustling, robbery, witchcraft beliefs, intimacy conflicts, carjacking and alcoholism, said the minister while presenting his ministry’s 930bn/- budget estimates for 2017/18 fiscal year.

He mentioned the notorious regions for the killings as Dodoma, Geita, Kagera, Mbeya and Tabora, adding that investigations into the cases continue, with 1,619 suspects in custody.

The minister noted with concern that during the recent months crimes have rocked Mkuranga, Kibiti and Rufiji districts in Coast region, necessitating the establishment of special police zone within the 2017/2018 fiscal period to restore peace.

“The police force will in the 2017/2018 period continue working closely with all stakeholders to remedy the deteriorating peace and security; and we will continue educating members of the community on the importance of obeying the law,” he said.

Mr Nchemba said the government has extended verification of firearms to June 30, 2017 to provide ample time for all people to authenticate their legally possessed weapons.

To bolster security in other crime ridden areas like Kinondoni in Dar es Salaam, the police have started implementing the Community Safety Initiative (CSI), a three-year programme scheduled to start in this fiscal year.

Although security has relatively improved in most parts, the police still have an uphill task to deal with expansive urban centres and sophisticated criminals’ tactics. Statistics show that between July 2016 and March 2017, there were 56,913 criminal cases, with 53,850 of them reported in Tanzania Mainland and 3,063 cases in Zanzibar.

The minister said the number of arrested illegal immigrants rose by 45 per cent, saying during the July 2016 - March 2017 period, 1,032,978 visitors entered the country, 9,581 of them being illegal immigrants. During the period, 5,923 Tanzanians were deported, with 253 of them being stowaways and 5,650 Tanzanians living illegally in Mozambique.

The minister said following the security improvement in Burundi, the government has proposed a dialogue with Burundi and UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to encourage the immigrants to return home willingly.

He said in the 2016/2017 fiscal year, the National Identification Authority (NIDA) and UNHCR started registration of refugees living in Tanzania to ensure that they do not register as Tanzanian citizens.

Home Affairs, Defence and Security Parliamentary Committee Chairman Adadi Rajabu decried budgetary constraints that impede the ministry’s operations. He said although the government has decided to relocate to Dodoma, it remains important to complete all projects, which were already in progress in Dar es Salaam.

“The government should disburse the 2bn/- which was allocated in the 2016/2017 fiscal year to complete construction of the fire department headquarters, which has stalled since 2013,” he said.

He said that it is vital for the government to empower the police force in the country with modern technology so that they can succeed in their efforts of combating crime.

Mr Rajabu, a former Director of Criminal Investigation, advised the government to repatriate illegal immigrants who are in Tanzanian prisons to ease congestion in the country’s remedial houses.

Opposition Spokesman for the ministry Godbless Lema blamed the escalating crimes on delayed disbursement of funds to the police. He said for the 2016/2017 financial year, the House endorsed 5.4bn/- for police development projects but until last February only 40m/- , less than one per cent, had been released.

“On several occasions, the police has been accused of brutality, but the opposition believe that this is due to insufficient budgetary allocation... if the money was timely released, it could be used to educate the officers on how to work scientifically,” he said.

Meanwhile, LUDOVICK KAZOKA reports that police in Mbeya region on Monday night arrested 43 illegal immigrants from Ethiopia along the Mbarali-Mbeya Highway.

Mbeya Regional Police Commander (RPC) Dhahiri Kidavashari said yesterday that the police had also embarked on a manhunt for a driver, Zakayo Elias, who is alleged to have transported the illegal immigrants.

In another incident, the RPC said a Standard One pupil at Matwiga Primary School at Matwiga Village in Chunya District, died of suffocation after the school’s head teacher had locked him up in a cabinet as punishment for truancy.

He said the pupil, 11-year old Daudi Kaila, was taken to school by his father Jordan Kaila (43) after a one-month absence, pointing out at the school, the head teacher, Scola Mwasaga (38), ordered the father to punish his son by caning.