WEDNESDAY, September 25, 2021, is a day that will be recorded as one of the dark days for the country's Police Force and, of course, the entire Tanzanian community.
It is the day when a gunman, identified as Hamza Mohammed, killed three police officers and security guard who were on duty in a shootout, sending a chill up the spines of Dar es Salaam residents.
Speaking during the occasion to bid farewell to the heroes on Friday at Kurasini Police Barracks grounds in Dar es Salaam, both Minister for Home Affairs George Simbachawene and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Simon Sirro delivered moving speeches during which they expressed heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased persons.
In the speeches, the two leaders implored Tanzanian parents, guardians or communities to closely monitor the conduct of their children or relatives to establish if there is any suspicious behaviour of activity before reporting to relevant security organs or authorities for action.
There is no doubt that, if relatives or friends of the gunman had reported to authorities on his conduct (Hamza), such a tragic incident might have been avoided.
Though there is no confirmatory report on the manner in which Hamza was behaving some days leading up to the day of the tragic incident, we believe that close friends or relatives might have noticed something worth reporting to relevant authorities a few days before the fateful day.
With regard to police officers on duty, the incident serves as a wakeup call to them on the need to be extra vigilant against individuals posing as good people while in actual sense they are dangerous ones.
It would be recalled that in July 2015, four police officers and two civilians were shot dead after armed gangsters attacked Stakishari Police Station in Ukonga, Ilala District in the commercial capital- Dar es Salaam.
As the public waits for the findings of the investigation into the Wednesday tragic incident, the public, especially Dar es Salaam residents ought to learn that rushing to the scene of the shootout is dangerous for their lives.
When police officers were battling the gunman on Wednesday, some individuals were seen taking pictures, putting their lives in danger. We have always been warned against rushing or staying at the scene of some tragic incidents but it appears the warning falls into the deaf ears.
Often we have witnessed some individuals rushing to the scene of burning oil tankers for the objective of siphoning fuel, resulting in many deaths. It is high time we changed this behaviour.
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