POLICE have embarked on countrywide crime and traffic awareness campaigns in an effort to curb crimes of concern and road carnage that has claimed many lives along the country's major highways.

Assistant and senior assistant commissioners commanding the 10 provinces in the country are leading the awareness campaigns. Among them is a team of officers from the press and public relations section and by yesterday they were in Manicaland province.

National police spokesperson Superintendent Paul Nyathi said they have conducted awareness campaigns in some provinces that include Bulawayo, Matabeleland South, Harare, Mashonaland East."We are carrying out the awareness campaigns informing the public on all major crimes of concern and accidents.

Some of these crimes include rape, murder, armed robbery and unlawful entry (housebreaking and thefts), among others," he said. During the campaigns the team would be interacting with members of the public, sharing ideas and giving them tips on how to prevent crime and safeguarding their property as well as reducing road accidents.

"In the process the community is also interacting with the senior officers by also giving ideas which they think can assist in curbing crime and reducing accidents," said Supt Nyathi.

"Some of them are even raising concerns which senior officers would urgently address. The campaigns are ongoing until we cover all the provinces and next week we will be covering Mashonaland Central province," he said.

He said so far this year there were no major crimes of concern reported as some of the crimes were on the decrease.

Police have been carrying out these campaigns as part of their policing initiatives.

About 45 police officers from Harare, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland West provinces conducted crime awareness campaigns along the country's major roads.

The campaigns were held at Westgate, Greencroft, Fourth Street bus terminus, along Second Street Extension, Samora Machel Avenue and at Kumbudzi along Simon Mazorodze Road.

According to media reports, at least 2 000 convicts are roaming the streets scot free as their appeals could not be dealt with timeously due to shortage of transcribers and poor recording equipment, a development that is compromising the justice delivery system.

The protracted delays have resulted in the suspects, among them carjackers, rapists, armed robbers and fraudsters, continuing with their criminal activities while others have since breached their bail conditions and disappeared.