Strips of spikes used by police to stop vehicles refusing to obey orders to halt are fully legal and any court trying to ban them would be tantamount to legalising crime and disempowering police from maintaining law and order, the High Court has ruled.

The Passengers Association of Zimbabwe had sued police, seeking an interdict prohibiting officers from using the strips of spikes and smashing windscreens of private taxis to halt pirate taxis and kombis, saying that this conduct endangered the lives of the public and causes blatant unlawful and malicious damage to private property police are supposed to protect.

Police have implemented internal procedures that have limited the use of spikes and teargas and stopped the smashing of windscreens for traffic violations.

But spikes are seen as an effective way of halting a vehicle whose driver refuses to stop when ordered to, and a way of halting a vehicle using minimum force.

Police introduced spikes to replace the use of firearms, which could cause unintended injury or death.

Spikes deflate all tyres of a vehicle, bringing it to a halt, but without the risks entailed when police shoot at a vehicle’s tyres and miss. In most cases a driver seeing spikes across the road decides to obey the halt order given rather than try and escape.

Police needing to use spikes are now expected to follow procedures set out in the Police Weapons and Equipment Coin and I.S Manual (Methods and Frequency), a handbook for police officers, which provides instructions on how they should use their weapons and equipment.- The Herald