A British based research institute BMI states that businesses in Zimbabwe must invest considerably in security measures to protect their assets as the police force is unable to effectively combat crime due to the prevalence of petty crime.
BMI’s report on Zimbabwe Crime and Security Risk states that theft and assault are the most prevalent crimes and major cities and tourist locations such as Harare and Victoria Falls are greatly exposed.
“The prevalence of petty crime and the police force’s inability to effectively combat crime mean that businesses must invest considerably in security measures to protect their assets,” stated BMI.
“In addition to the cost of comprehensive private security and hardship and danger pay requirements, the growing threat of cyber attacks imposes higher costs of cyber security.”
BMI also reveals the issue of corruption as one of the business risks in the country.
The report states that Zimbabwe faces additional costs in order to ensure the protection of their staff, reputation and assets, owing to the threat of corruption.
“The prevalence of non-violent crime is strongly related to the country’s elevated corruption levels as well as the economic downturn over the past two decades that underpins the high rate of crimes of opportunity and police-under-funding.” BMI report states.
State institutions have been accused of corruption and some members have already been arrested with charges of fraud.
Although businesses have been advised to invest into security measures, Zimbabwe’s risk of violent crime remains limited in comparison with regional peers such as South Africa.
The country was presented as a stable and peaceful environment.
“Zimbabwe’s comparatively low levels of crime affecting businesses, including cyber crime, financial crime and organised crime, make the country more attractive to operate in compared to regional peers such as Angola and Mozambique from this perspective,” reveals BMI.
BMI’s report shows that Zimbabwe is peaceful as the country is not a target of international terrorist groups while the military is strong by regional standards.
Zimbabwean police force has in the past been blamed for corruption such as road blocks. The country’s police force has also witnessed changes in leadership with the new government works towards creating an environment for good investment in Zimbabwe.
