Minister upbeat on solving police housing challenge

Minister of Homeland Security Richard Chimwendo Banda has assured security personnel in the country that government is going to solve their housing challenges.

Speaking on Monday when touring police houses under construction at National Police Headquarters in Lilongwe, he said he was satisfied with progress of the project.

The site will have 300 three-bedroom apartments for junior officers, 38 three-bedroom houses for middle rank officers and 12 houses for senior officers.

Said Chimwendo: Banda: “We are going to make sure that as soon as some houses have been completed, we hand them over to police officers while the rest of the houses are still being constructed.

“That way, we can solve the housing challenges facing the police service where 70 percent of officers are renting outside police quarters.”

According to the minister, officers lack access to decent housing and where it is available, it is in dilapidated state.

Police Deputy Inspector General responsible for Administration Merlyn Yolamu said the housing shortage in the police service has had an impact on their operations.

She said: “The current status quo where 70 percent of officers reside outside police quarters is not good. Normally police are designed to be at one location where it becomes easy to mobilise them in case of need.”

On his part, Mughal Construction site agent Imtiaz Mirza said the project is scheduled to finish in June next year.

“I am very optimistic that we will meet that target,” he said.

Chimwendo Banda recently told The Nation that government has set five years to construct 10 000 houses for law enforcement agencies but they will start with 2 500 houses.

The first phase of houses was inaugurated by President Lazarus Chakwera on December 15 2020 in Karonga.