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Police Force deploys detective squads in Tandale
2007-05-14 09:01:35
By Austin Beyadi
Police in Dar es Salaam are working undercover to restore order and security at Tandale-Uzuri suburb, following growing incidents of armed robberies organized by touts and street thugs around Makanya/Mlandizi Street.
According to the Kinondoni Acting Regional Police Commander, Aveliny Luoga, the law-enforcers made a swift intervention over the week end and deployed plain-clothed policemen to arrest muggers who were terrorizing the locality
He said a special police squad was currently making ground investigations to identify touts and muggers who were invading commuter buses and robbing passengers.
However, he could not give more details on the progress of the operation for what he termed as security reasons.
`Police are working undercover in the area so as to establish the heart of the network,` said the acting regional police chief, adding that all police stations, posts and units around the areas were working on high alert to uncover the secret behind the gangs’ operations.
Police underground operations followed shocking reports of people being terrorised at will by unidentified armed gangs who robbed their valuables unhindered.
The Guardian` investigations had established that those organizing the ambushes and armed robberies had been operating under protection of unfaithful law-enforcement officials.
The incidents, pioneered by the touts, have prevailed for months, creating fear among residents and passers-by in the area.
Efforts by people living in Tandale to get police support had proved futile for months.
Some people, mostly women, sustained serious injuries, as armed robbers who entered the buses disguised as passengers ripped off their earrings and snatched their handbags by force.
Some commuter buses crew are now refusing to carry passengers at the trouble spots, while others have suspended services completely for fear of being ambushed and robbed.
Local government authorities in Tandale have completely failed to control the situation, as the touts employ a strategic approach—that is, moving and striking in groups.
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