SCREAMS for help saved a female police officer in Bulawayo from being kidnapped after a commuter omnibus crew she was escorting to a police station sped past the station, only to ram onto a tree under pressure from a rescue car which was being driven by an alert security guard, it has been learnt.
The National Traffic Police Spokesperson, Inspector Tigere Chingome, confirmed the incident and the arrest of the driver, Sindiso Ndlovu (23), for contravening a “number of traffic regulations” as well as abducting a police officer.
“I can confirm that we received a report to that effect. It happened at around 7.30am on Friday at a check out point between Herbert Chitepo Street and Leopold Takawira Avenue in Bulawayo’s Central Business District.
“The two officers on duty stopped a Toyota Hiace (kombi), registration number ABB3481, and arrested the driver for being under the stipulated age including a number of other traffic offences,” said Insp Chingome.
He said a female police officer got on board and instructed the driver to proceed to Drill Hall Police Camp in the CBD. “Instead of proceeding to Drill Hall under the escort of the police officer, the driver drove past at a very high speed towards western suburbs and only stopped when the vehicle rammed onto a tree at a house in Old Magwegwe,” said Insp Chingome.
The commuter omnibus driver and the conductor were arrested by a vigilant National Railways of Zimbabwe security guard, who responded to the screams of the police officer and gave chase using a company vehicle.
“We were busy refuelling our vehicle at the Road Motor Services (RMS) when we heard high-pitched screams for help from the kombi. It is at that time, that we realised it was a police officer and we gave chase.
“The police officer was making a timid effort to wrestle the driver in a bid to make him stop. The kombi driver was travelling at 80 kilometres per hour and when he realised that we were chasing him he increased to 120 kilometres per hour,” said Mr Stanford Madamombe.
He said the kombi driver lost control and the vehicle veered off the road and rammed onto a tree and he was later apprehended together with his conductor in their attempt to flee from the scene.
“We managed to apprehend the two and handed them over to the police at West Commonage, this was after chasing them for about 300 metres despite their efforts to outwit us by jumping over walls and fences,” said Mr Madamombe.
Insp Chingome urged motorists to refrain from resisting arrest, stating that penalising them for traffic offences was part of the police’s efforts to reduce road fatalities.
“I am appealing to all motorists to desist from the tendency of resisting arrest or being cautioned because one way or another they will end up coming to us (traffic police) in the event of an accident,” he said.
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This officer was abit stupid, she was not surpose to be driven by the accused. She had already told him that his age was not good to drive that vehicle so why did she permited him to drive. Was this young man going to be convicted or not. She must go back to derpo for training.
Comment by Chimbanje — April 24, 2010 @ 12:01 am