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Towards and safer Dar: Why Kova`s path tricky
2008-06-30 09:30:15
By Editor
Suleiman Kova, formerly regional police chief for Mbeya, recently took over from retiring Alfred Tibaigana as the law-enforcement agency`s Dar es Salaam Special Zone Commander.
At a ceremony to mark the transition, both said they had fruitful relations with the media and members of the public that had made their work easier and more productive.
Tibaigana, who is understood to be eyeing politics, should find the experience a treasure.
The experience should similarly stand Kova in excellent stead in a region far from being as peaceful as its name suggests.
Fortunately, both believe they are true professional warriors and have all they need to meet the challenges ahead of them.
However, they repeatedly punctuated their remarks at the ceremony with the humble admission that their efficiency would be appreciably curtailed unless there was enough understanding, cooperation and general support from the citizenry.
In a word, they were underscoring the fundamental importance of implementing the concept commonly known as community policing.
The region`s security situation should be seeing substantial improvement if Kova makes good the policy of zero tolerance to crime he has described as his guiding light.
To make people have a feel of his no-nonsense stand where crime is concerned, he has issued an ultimatum to criminal elements and people contemplating engaging in criminal activities in the country`s commercial capital.
Truly keen and caring observers will have noticed the record-high speed with which the hordes of notorious commuter bus (daladala) touts who have for long wreaked havoc in the city have disappeared since Kova succeeded soft-spoken Tibaigana.
Last week Kova warned ward councillors and other civic leaders in the city to desist from seeking bail for criminal suspects under their jurisdiction on the flimsy pretext that they could show them the door come the next elections.
We couldn\'t agree with him more on the matter.
Still, we know that there is much more to the commission of crime and the manner in which our police, the courts, the various other state organs and the public have been handling criminal suspects than appears on the surface.
The decision by the police to discuss with civic leaders ways to enhance peace and security reminds one of the good old days - particularly in the 1960s and 1970s - when officers from the `enigmatic` state intelligence unit used to go around sensitising society on their role and calling for public support.
The demystification-cum-mobilisation exercise had obvious benefits.
More recently, agencies like the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (Ewura) have begun taking similar measures and should, too, realise handsome returns if they move properly.
There is much room for our state security organs to succeed in their endeavours, depending on the professionalism and devotion with which they will serve the nation and the extent to which they will establish rapport with the people and therefore, win their trust.
Indications are that this is familiar territory for Kova and his subordinates. So let them swim on and save the city from drowning in the floodwaters of crime.
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