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Issue 00602 |
February 6 - 12, 2010 |
issn 0856 - 9135 |
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Front Page 1 |
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Huge income gap By Arusha Times Correspondent The talk of town is burglaries, robberies and murders. What is the root cause of such crime in the local environs, or rather how could such vices be prevented in the society? Soaring crime in Arusha is an inevitable by-product of success amid deepening poverty, according to a crime expert. Major (rtd) Tony Sugden, the chief executive officer of Warrior Security firm based in Arusha claims the situation was "unstoppable" given the big divide between the rich and poor. "Arusha is becoming a big town. There is money in town with those blessed with cash setting up businesses. At the same time there are people who are not benefiting," he said. "The rich are getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Last year there was drought which rendered many people hungry, poor and desperate" he said in an interview. The British-born Sugden, who set up Warrious Security in 2006, says to improve the situation was a challenge and would somehow depend on how the government is helping people to overcome poverty. He said the mushrooming of private security companies in Arusha and other major towns was enough indication of the need to contain crime jointly with government security forces. But he took swipe at some locally registered firm,saying they were not helping matters because of underpaying their security guards. "Paying a security guard Tsh 40,000 or 50,000 shillings a month is not only going against the laws of the land but makes them easy prey to collude with criminals," he pointed out. One way to create equality in the society was to make sure laws are followed, he suggested, stressing that this includes paying security guards well so that they don't turn criminals. He said containing crime in Arusha, besides intensified efforts by the law enforcers, also needed "some dialogue" between the government and other stakeholders. "These should sit down and devise ways to make life better for Tanzanians so that they don't turn to crime. People without money are desperate...they need money," he noted. He absolved the police from the deteriorating situation,saying they were doing a good job but were under-resourced. "They are trying very hard. We can't blame them as individuals....they should be given support in terms of resources like fuel for vehicles, radios and transport", he emphasized. He said without increased police patrol despite the poor working gear, the situation would not have been the same for the municipality which attracts many international visitors. He also commended the wananchi who volunteered to give information to the police and security firms. This has largely led to foiling of robberies, he explained. Security Warriors, which has over 220 guards deployed in various parts of Arusha everyday, receives between 20 and 30 crime cases per month. The retired army major also called on the government to become tough against private security firms which underpay their guards, saying this could undermine the security operations. "Low payment for a security guard means you are preparing him or her to become a thief," he warned. He said although soaring crime in 'Geneva of Africa' and the country's tourism hub is not likely to frustrate investments in the area, the locals are most hard hit. "More Tanzanians are being robbed, not the tourists or banks" he said, adding that some local traders running big businesses, including famous entertainment centres, do not take security matters seriously. But some observers in Arusha say crime has gone down significantly in the last few years, citing armed robberies at banks, bureaux de change and shopping centres as was the case five years ago. "You don't hear such attacks anymore. This is because security has been tightened" said one Arusha resident, adding, however, that chilly murders and fatal shootings remain the main worry. The regional police commander Matei Basilio could not give the crime statistics but admitted that there had been a surge of crime especially around the town since the beginning of the year. Several bandits have been felled down in fire exchanges with the police and guns seized. However, he said they have managed to clamp down armed robberies involving foreigners, including attacks on tourist vehicles in Ngorongoro and highway ambushes.
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