Epworth Local Board to engage community in fighting night robberies, drug abuse and prostitution
The Epworth Local Board is engaging its community to help the local police in indetyifying suspected criminals who are commiting robberies at night in the area with the situation now said to have gone out of hand.
Night robberies have been on the increase in the high density surbub with reports suggesting that most of the criminals draft their robbing strategies in drug hotspots and brothels.
The Epworth Local Board seeks to engage its ward councillors to mobilise residents to be on the look out of suspicious criminals in their areas and alert community leaders and the councillors so they inform the police to investigate them.
The criminals mainly target victims coming from purchasing their products from Mbare as many informal traders have increased in Epworth. Other victims are also pounced on coming from pubs and from work.
The move was confirmed by the Epworth Local Board Town Secretary Dr.Wilton Mhanda who expressed concern over the increase of night robberies in the area saying that despite numerous efforts by the Epworth Local Board to set up initiatives meant to empower the residents and end unemployment in the area, criminal activities are still being witnessed and are now on the increase.
Dr Mhanda said the Epworth Local Board is now engaging the community through its leadership to help identify the perpetrators of these criminal acts, as most criminals who are known to be unemployed will be witnessed by lavish spending at shopping centers and at drug hotspots.
”The Epworth Local Board has set up many empowerment Centers through partnerships from donors and business partners and the initiative has empowered many residents, but to my surprise criminal activities especially night robberies are now rampant,” said Epworth Local Board Town Secretary Dr Mhanda.
”We have now instructed our Ward councillors to set up communication networks with residents so they indetify suspected criminals in their wards and investigate their source of income and alert the police.”
Several empowerment initiatives have been initialized to empower residents and end unemployment and poverty such as the setting up a state of the art Resource Center which is open to every resident from the community, where free training in capentry and metal work is offered.
The Resource Center also has diversified machinery to cut, trim and design wood products as furniture, with moulding and smelting steel equipment also available. This initiative was a donation from the Swedish Government.
Other people however choose otherwise and opt for criminality than to empower themselves through free of charge, incoming generating projectss.
”We have a state of the art Resource Center which offers free training in wood art and steel manufacturing and has the latest machinery which manufactures wood and moulds steel.
“This project has empowered thousands of residents in Epworth, but many people still opt to engage in criminal activities, which is a cause of concern,” said Dr Mhanda.
Many industrial sites have also been opened in the area through partnerships with local and foreign investors in the construction and manufacturing industry,a move which has provided full time and part-time employment for many local residents. The Epworth Local Board is shocked therefore many criminal activities, such as night robberies, theft and drug and substance abuse continue to be on the rise despite these empowerment offers.
”Many industries which manufactures cement and building materials such as quarry stones, specialty designed bricks and artificial tiles to name but a few employ a lot of part time workers on a daily basis, but other mischievous people choose to rob others in the night in a move which is worrisome,” said Dr Mhanda.
The Local Board has also set up a Women’s Center, through initiatives from Women Empowerment organisations. This Women Center is specialized in training women in several incoming generating projects at a very low price. Upon completion, the Women’s Center also facilitates for one to join a group where women manufacture a lot of products such as clothes, beads, food products and cleaning detergents for retailing thereby earning a living.
But to the community’s set back a lot of young girls have now resorted to prostitution and drug abuse ignoring these empowerment projects, a sad development which the local Board must engage its Ward councillors and community leaders to improve and empower the lost young lives.
”We have a very successful Women’s Center which trains women and young girls in several projects such as sewing,craft making, food and drink manufacturing and making cleaning detergents to name but a few. However the very sad part is young girls turn to prostitution at a very young age, a sad development which the community must work with the responsible authorities tirelessly to put an end to,” Dr Mhanda said.
