By Precila Takabvirakare
Zimbabwe Republic Police Gutu Camp has commissioned a four dog kennel, a development that will see the camp having a canine department which will come in handy to combat crime.
The kennel was officially commissioned by Officer Commanding Masvingo East District Superintendent Crime Musafari Mahwite on May 30, 2024.
The kennel was constructed at Gutu Police Station by Business Against Crime Forum of Zimbabwe (BACFOZ) and Crime Liaison Committee (CLC) to help police execute their duties.
Speaking during the ceremony, Supt Mahwite applauded the support from the two organizations saying the development had lasting advantages in fighting crime.
“I want to appreciate the support that we are getting from the community, this partnership helps in fighting crime. The community and the police will help each other to identify, prioritize and solve contemporary problems such as drug abuse, social disorder and overall neighborhood decay with the goal of improving the general quality of life in the area,” said Mahwite
He said the development came at the time when the police were working tirelessly to deliver on its policing theme.
“The construction of this dog kennel came at a time when ZRP is making frantic efforts to deliver its mandate in line with 2024 policing theme (ZRP for Peace and Security towards National Development).
“This theme resonates very well with the national vision of becoming an upper middle income economy by year 2030. So for this to happen resources such as dogs and human capital are needed in the fight against crime,” said Mahwite
He further said the donated dog section will help in crime scene attendance saying dogs were handy in police work.
“Dogs are very important, they can be used to search for drugs, explosives, locate missing persons and help crime scene attendance. I therefore encourage the community to report crimes where dog services will be required timeously,” he said.
Speaking at the same event Officer in Charge Gutu Police Station Inspector Cames Muyambo thanked the community for the support which he said results in promoting peace and security.
“I would like to thank BACFOZ AND CLC for this donation, it is very crucial as it will improve our service delivery to promote peace and security. This will in turn help in developing our community,” Inspector Muyambo
Giving vote of thanks Chief Makore born Jemetias Muzenda praised the collaboration between the community and the ZRP.
“I am grateful to BACFOZ and CLC for this great initiative it shows that we are one family. As Chiefs we are also police officers, we work very well with ZRP. They even use our cars to attend crime scenes when they have challenges with their own vehicles so let us keep on working together,” said Makore.
Apart from constructing the dog kennel, the two committees also helped with resuscitation of the ZRP Gutu canteen whose profits are being used to sustain the station’s operations such as procurement of fuel, stationery as well as fleet servicing.
