By A Correspondent- Police officers have been accused of extorting bribes or demanding s_exual favours from s_ex workers in order for the latter to operate after curfew hours.

The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) August monthly monitoring report stated that a number of thigh vendors who  operated after stipulated curfew hours in Marondera and Mutoko accused male police officers of demanding bribes or sexual favours.

“In Marondera and Mutoko, commercial sex workers operating after the curfew time accused male police officers of asking for bribes and in some cases, the police officers allegedly demanding sexual favours from the commercial sex workers in return for freedom.”

The ZPP also noted that most of these cases were recorded in Mashonaland East province, New Zimbabwe reports.

Recently, President Emmerson Mnangagwa extended curfew hours to between 22:00hrs and 05:30hrs. Before then, curfew hours were between 19:00hrs to 06:00hrs.

In a similar incident, iHarare reported that a Rusape woman was found not guilty of trumped-up charges filed against her by a spiteful police officer whose sexual advances she had turned down.

Chikunguru works at Rusape General Hospital, where she is employed as a mortician by Heritage Funeral Parlour.

The police officers charged her with assaulting or resisting a peace officer as defined in section 176 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

She was accused of refusing to be apprehended by shouting and throwing stones at Constable Brian Kasu who was enforcing Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

Other members of the unit included Assistant Inspector Chisenye, Assistant Inspector Dhambu, Constable Muza, Constable Makwarimba and Constable Masuka among others.