Dar eS Salaam:
THE Maasai youths have become a trademark of urban security. Wherever you go in most urban centres in Tanzania you will find the man at the gate of an affluent home either a Maasai watchman or a security guard from one of the security companies.
This is a sign that there is growing insecurity around today than there was some 20 years ago. Acts of thuggery, pick pocketing, stealing, robbery, house breaking and mugging are common today. Visit some of Tanzanian prisons and you find that three quarters of the inmates are those accused of committing these crimes.
However, even the rural areas are not spared. Incidents of cattle rustling, house breaking, killings of old folks and albinos are frequently reported in the media. Just recently, a procession of the Uhuru Torch march was held up in Morogoro district so that they could put off a wild bush fire started by unknown unscrupulous people on the Uluguru Mountains.
This territory is very big expanding to vast remote areas some of which not easily accessible by motor vehicles. The police force is just a fraction of the 40 million population of this land and cannot be everywhere, every minute in villages, wards, districts, regions, towns and cities.
Likewise, the Maasai youths cannot be in every home, village and town street to ensure the security of people and their property. Apart from the fact that the police force is limited in numbers it is also true that the police is also short of facilities to carry out day and night patrols or to respond to some emergency like chasing a fleeing gang of criminals particularly in the suburbs or countryside where there are no roads.
Everywhere the people are expressing concerns of insecurity on the one hand while on the other hand the police are saying they can do little because they are ill-equipped.
Such recent people’s lamentations in Tabora and Morogoro reached the ears of a people caring institution – the Tanzania Leaf Tobacco Company (TLTC), which is the country’s leading leaf tobacco company.
The firm responded immediately by providing millions of shillings worth property for enhancing community policing among other social responsibility philanthropic initiatives.
These included handing over motorbikes worth 5.1 m/- were handed over by TLTC Operations General Manager, Thadeo B. Lyimo to Tabora District Commissioner, Moshi Chang’a on August 9th this year at a colourful ceremony, also attracted the business community in Tabora district.
While handing over the donations, Lyimo said TLTC was duty bound to share its gains with the community it was engaged with in revamping the economy through the production of tobacco as a matter of policy.
“TLTC has been supporting the people’s efforts in bringing about development in the areas of education, health and water supply in the implementation of its corporate social responsibility,” Lyimo stresses.
In addition to the motorbikes, TLTC also donated two 10-hole pit-latrines for Tumbi and Fundikira secondary schools worth 7m/- as well as two water wells worth Shs10million for secondary schools in Tumbi and Cheyo wards. Altogether, the TLTC Operations General Manager handed over facilities worth a total of 22.1m/-.
The Tabora donation to police was the second in one month, being preceded by another donation of 12.5m/- to Morogoro to boost community policing in that region.
In Morogoro TLTC donated six pieces of radio calls worth a total of 6.8m/- and three motorcycles worth a total of 5.7m/-.
Speaking during the handing over ceremony, the TLTC Legal and Corporate Affairs Director, Richard Sinamtwa, had said his company strongly supported the Government’s programme of community police.
Sinamtwa said TLTC, being part of the community, felt committed to helping police in terms of security gears.
“We know we need to invest in security by way of partnering in community police because we realize that police alone could not fight serious Crimes in society and again government has limited resources in a growing population to fully equip the police with all the necessary working gear to perform effectively. This is why we as part of the community find ourselves indebted to contribute,’’ he said.
The Morogoro Regional Police Commander (RPC), Thobias Andengenye, urged other companies to emulate TLTC philanthropic spirit. He said the same company boosted them two years ago by providing 2 Suzuki Motorcycles worth by then Ths 9.6m/- and 4 sets of Motorola radio calls worth 2.5m/- and the help proved to be very helpful.
“We are grateful you have heard our cry about scarcity of security tools we have been facing. Your backing today will help us a great deal and I urge other companies to follow suit,’’ the RPC said.
“The security tools provided by your company two years ago helped us greatly to improve our work and as you might have noticed security has been improved in the region,’’ Andengenye added.
The RPC said the police campaign on community police service would highly depend on contributions provided by various stakeholders in the community. The Regional Police chief said TLTC has shown a good example on supporting the idea worth emulating by other companies.
Apart from handing over radio calls in Morogoro, Sinamtwa also handed over ignition keys of the motorcycles to the RPC at the ceremony also attended by other police senior officials in the region.
The DC Chang’a who graced the Tabora occasion hailed TLTC for their timely response to support the community policing activities.
“TLTC have responded fast and timely to the security concern in Tabora district and this is a very positive gesture of an institution that is responsive to the development concerns in our communities,” Chang’a observed.
Talking about the security limitations in the district, Chang\’a said much as the police would like to perform their duties well, but resources limited them.
“While the police would like to perform their security tasks of ensuring peace and security of the people and property, they are ill-equipped,” Chang’a said, adding that the police were doing a commendable job in the district citing that this year alone they had recovered stolen property worth a total of 42m/-.
Tabora Regional Police Commander, Liberatus Barlow spoke at length on the importance of community police saying it dated back to the era of the people’s militia in the 1970s.
“The concept of community policing is found in the State Constitution which stipulates that the security of this nation is the responsibility of every Tanzanian citizen,” Barlow said.
He added however, that the role of community police had changed from that of mere arresting of criminals to include social and community responsibility by working with the people in solving community problems.
TLTC’s response to people’s concerns should therefore be emulated by other institutions if we truly want to build a peaceful and secure nation.
Ends.