Wonderful as how Dar residents suffers when in need of police help after 18:00Hrs

The closure of some Police posts in Dar es Salaam city has posed threats and fear among some residents in the city of Dar es Salaam, with the police force defending the move saying that, the decision aims to maintain tight security in such areas. The survey by the Guardian has discovered that, residents in some areas within the city’s suburbs, have to trek long distance in search of the main police station when in need of police help after having been encountered with any social problems that would require police intervention. Joshua Abayo a resident of Mwananyamala Kisiwani said in an exclusive interview on Monday this week that, when his room was broken and had some valuables stolen by thieves in the area at night two weeks ago, he had to hire a bodaboda to Oyster bay police station to report the incident. However, he wonders as to why the nearest police post in his area where he could take the matter quickly and with ease is closed down as from 18:00 hours in the evening. Another distraught resident is Mwanahawa Asha, a mother of three children who for the last five days sustained minor injuries in her body after being beaten by her husband who has absconded the family and he is nowhere to be seen up to now.   

Tanzania's police spokeswoman SSP Advera Sernso

In her narration to the writer of this news, after the quarrel she had with her husband she wanted a Police form No. 3 (PF3) with which to enable her attend a hospital to get medical treatment and was compelled to walk all the way from Vingunguti kwa Kombo where she is residing up to Buguruni police station a distance that covers two kilometers and reported the matter for help. Julius Mwikwabe a resident of Kipunguni ‘A’ at Banana had a difficult time to walk all the way to Sitakishari main police station on the eve of Christmas day when burglars stormed into his room in his absence  and made away with valuable properties including a Television set. Narrating the incident, he said that, he went to attend the church on the previous day for a night prayer and on his coming back, he encountered such a phenomenon which without option had to rush to Sitakishari police station for the nearest police post had closed down. 

Magogoni creek in Dar es Salaam

Contacted for comments, the police force in the country has said that, the idea of closing some of police posts in the city of Dar es Salaam is in accordance to the procedures of police schedules.   The spokesperson of the Police force in the country ASP Advera Senso said in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday this week that, “the move is aimed at maintaining peace in the area”. Elaborating more she said that, the closure does not affect the work of maintaining peace among civilians in the area basing on the fact that this is the core activity of the police force everywhere in the world. However she said and added that, in areas where the police posts are closed as from 18:00hrs in the evening, people in need of police help should contact the main police stations allocated closely to their residential areas. ASP Senso declined to disclose further the motive behind the closure of such police posts and why shouldn’t they made to operate throughout 24 hours when asked, but kept on insisting that, it is because of the security reasons that the public don’t need to know.