EDITORIAL COMMENT: Police should up their crowd control game

23 Nov, 2014 - 05:11 0 Views

The Sunday Mail

Let’s face it and let’s accept it – we are sitting on a ticking time bomb with regards to crowd control during events such as church gatherings, musical shows and at soccer matches. This may be difficult to swallow, but it seems the police are not well trained and well equipped to control large crowds.

What happened in Kwekwe last Thursday when 11 people died as they made their way out of Mbizo Stadium after a crusade by Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries leader Prophet Walter Magaya should not be allowed to happen again in future. Innocent lives were lost unnecessarily and what is worrying is that up to today, the blame game continues.

The police are blaming one Amos Muzeyiwa, who they are saying caused the stampede after he failed to switch off his gas stove that he was using to fry fresh chips for the congregants. Officer Commanding Midlands Province Senior Assistant Commissioner Shadreck Mubaiwa told our reporter in Kwekwe that when Muzeyiwa failed to switch off his gas stove properly, it exploded causing the congregants to panic. However, Snr Asst Comm Mubaiwa accepted that indeed, the police had closed all the exit points out of the stadium except one.

On the other hand, Muzeyiwa is refusing to take the blame, saying indeed he failed to switch off his gas stove properly, but this happened way after the stampede which left about 54 other congregants injured.

To his credit, Prophet Magaya has decided to take the blame saying he will give $1 000 to the families that lost their loved ones and will meet the medical bills for those who were injured. While this is commendable, this does not solve the problem which seems to be growing with every passing day. The police must address concerns regarding crowd control. The earlier they do this the better.

Reports say there were about 30 000 congregants crammed in Mbizo Stadium and it boggles the mind why the police closed all the other entrances and only left one small gate opened. What exactly was the rational of doing this because clearly, that was a recipe for disaster.

The police are trying to put the blame on Muzeyiwa but Muzeyiwa is saying a different story. Some of the congregants have said the police caused the stampede after firing teargas into the crowd. We don’t want to waste time going round in circles. Clearly, the stampede could have been avoided and the police were supposed to do their job.

While the police can defend themselves, their record is not exactly clean. Just a few weeks ago, there was yet another stampede at the City Sports Centre in Harare during the ill-advised Zim Dancehall gig dubbed Sting 2014. Scores of people were hospitalised after the stampede which some people said was caused by the police who fired teargas into the crowd following disturbances on stage. Memories about yet another disaster in July 2000 when about 12 people died at the National Sports Stadium after police fired teargas into the crowd during the game between Zimbabwe and South Afrcia have not faded in the minds of many people. On that fateful day, trigger-happy police officers fired tear-gas into the crowd after some fans threw water bottles onto the pitch. Of course, police tried to defend themselves but the bottom line is that the tear-gas caused the stampede and as the former England striker John Fashanu who was in the stadium on this day put it “the police over-reacted, very stupidly.”

Basic crowd control tips show that police officers should have proper training to be able to control crowds. Buying equipment is just the beginning of crowd control and as they say having the equipment without training is more dangerous than not having any equipment at all. Giving an untrained police officer tear-gas is asking for trouble.

The second tip is that the police should be able to understand the crowd. Surely, the about 30 000 people who were in Mbizo Stadium were peace-loving congregants who were seeking deliverance and there was no need to use force or tear-gas to control them.

The third tip is that the police must be able to communicate with the crowd. Did the police at Mbizvo communicate with the panicking crowd? Did they have the equipment to communicate effectively with the crowd?

The fourth tip is that police should negotiate their reaction based on the crowd behaviour. A non-violent crowd like the one in Kwekwe didn’t warrant excessive police response.

And lastly, police should have means of recording such gatherings as this assists in holding the guilty responsible in cases of disaster. Now as it stands, its the word of the police against the words of Muzeyiwa. The honest truth of what really transpired will never be known.

The country’s police force is known for its professionalism that has seen it receiving several invitations abroad, but it is our hope that as the responsible authorities seek answers to what exactly happened in Kwekwe, the police will take a few hard lessons so as to avoid such unnecessary deaths in future.

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