By Clayton Shereni, Masvingo Correspondent 

POLICE in Masvingo are on high alert as murder and armed robbery cases continue to rise across the province.

Filling stations, business centres and homes of businesspeople have been the primary target for robbers.

Recently, there were a series of armed robberies at Chivi and Bikita growth points, where shops and a filling station were robbed of cash and people were shot.

Masvingo police spokesperson, Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa, said they are implementing various strategies to tame crime rate in the province.

“We are on the ground making efforts and implementing various strategies to arrest robbers, although we cannot get into the finer details for security reasons,” said Dhewa.

“We urge members of the public to avoid keeping large sums of money at home or have their financials known by their employees or any other person,” he said.

Of late, police officers and armed robbers have been engaging in high-speed pursuits in the Central Business District (CBD) exchanging gunfire.

Recently, another robbery gang was apprehended in the CBD after another hot pursuit in the CBD.

Murder cases are also on the increase. On Tuesday, a body of an unidentified man was found in the Masvingo’s industrial area.

Last week officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Masvingo arrested the trio of Tinashe Marimo, Praise Gudlanga and Rhinos Takakwira in connection with a robbery committed at Mberengwa Business Centre.