In an unusual occurrence, an alleged hard core criminal yesterday surrendered himself to the offices of Tanga Regional Police Commander with a promise to have retired from crime.
The alleged core criminal, John Bernard (29), told Regional Police Commander Simon Sirro that he had made the decision after he had been involved in crime for 11 years without anything to show for it other than to jeopardize his life.
He confessed further that he had been using a false name, Jack Dismas, in committing robberies which, he said, totalled more than 50.
Bernard, who is a resident of Majani Mapana on the outskirts of the city, revealed that he had first joined a robbery gang after he was influenced by a friend of his, whose whereabouts he currently did not know.
In an interview with 'The Guardian', Bernard said he had decided to retire from crime after he had been involved in major incidents in various parts of the country including Mwanza, Dare es Salaam, Morogoro, Arusha, Rukwa, Mbeya and Tanga.
He said despite having committed many crimes he had never been arrested, save for one incident that occurred in Tanga region.
He further said that his parents, who resided in Muheza district, had often been asking him to disassociate himself from crime.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN