Raymond Jaravaza
A TOTAL of 256 unregistered guns have been surrendered to the police since a presidential amnesty on voluntary surrender of firearms and ammunition was announced.
The presidential amnesty on voluntary surrender of firearms and ammunition runs from 8 August to 30 September.
The amnesty allows holders of guns and ammunition to hand them in with no charges being laid or penalties imposed.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police said: “The ZRP reports that on 01/09/22, forty-six (46) firearms were voluntarily surrendered during the operation “Firearm Amnesty”.
“The cumulative number of firearms surrendered to the police since 08/08/22 now stands at two hundred and fifty-six (256)”.
The country has witnessed a sharp rise in armed robberies and other violent crimes in the last couple of months.
Security companies have been the hardest hit with cash-in-transit robberies recorded in major cities at an alarming rate.
The latest case in Bulawayo was when security guards were disarmed and robbed, at gunpoint, of an undisclosed amount of cash at a Mukuru branch.
The robbery was recorded by a witness and went viral online.
Under the amnesty, the firearms should be surrendered to any nearest police station with the volunteer being given an official safe custody receipt to confirm that the weapon had indeed been taken over by the police.
The amnesty also covers anyone who is in possession of any weapon which was smuggled or illegally brought into the country.
