Police apprehend livestock theft suspects

THE Police Force through the Stock Theft Preventive Unit (STPU) in the country has arrested 1,942 suspected livestock thieves from January to December 2022.

STPU Command Officer, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Simon Pasua revealed this on Friday while presenting the unit’s report.

He said that during the same period of time, 2,934 cases of livestock theft had been recorded in various police stations around the country.

According to ACP Pasua, 14,530 livestock valued at 6.7mil/- were stolen in the same period, STPU also arrested 1,942 suspects and saved 4,995 livestock worth 2.4bn/- that had been stolen.

“The cases reported in various parts of the country were investigated, and 928 suspects were brought to court to face the wrath of the law. The accused broke cow pens and stole livestock,” he said.

To ensure the country’s resources are safeguarded, the police in the country have also conducted an operation and have successfully seized 13,502 livestock that encroached on National Parks, Game Reserves, forests and reserved areas in violation of the country’s laws.

“The owners of apprehended livestock in the operation were fined 1.3bn/- for the offense of grazing livestock in protected areas in accordance with the existing laws and procedures,” he noted.

The police through STPU, will continue the operation and provide education to herders and farmers throughout the country to combat criminal activities and livestock theft in remote areas of Tanzania mainland and islands, according to ACP Pasua.

“Herders and farmers in the country are encouraged to follow land best practices, such as not grazing in protected areas,” he said, urging herders to build strong cow pens and to avoid using children to care for livestock,” said ACP Pasua.

About 37 per cent of Tanzania’s land is covered by conservation rules, with almost 400,000 square km (155,000 square miles) of protected land contained in national parks, game and forest reserves famous for spectacular landscapes and herds of wildebeest and elephants.