Nice intensifies criminal justice awareness

National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust says there is still more work to be done to ensure that people in Thyolo District are familiar with the country’s justice system.

Thyolo Nice civic education officer Moses Kaunda said this on Tuesday during one of the organisation’s community engagements in Traditional Authority (T/A) Khwethemule in the district.

He said the meeting revealed that many people in the district were not aware of some basic justice procedures like how to seek police bail, which is free.

Said Kaunda: “We are having access to justice community engagements in different places to equip the masses with knowledge pertaining to criminal justice system, mainly targeting vulnerable people like women, children, the elderly as well as those in conflict with the law.”

He said during the exercise, they are accompanied by the  police, Legal Aid and Judiciary officials where people are asking questions and answers are provided.

“Through the engagement people are being drilled in human rights issues and where to go if something goes wrong.

They are also told to avoid taking the law into their own hands,” said Kaunda.

Thyolo Police Station officer in-charge Ulemu Kalua said the community engagement will help to reduce mob justice, which is currently on the rise in the district.

He said enriching the masses with criminal justice system information can reduce some cases that could have been avoided, adding that even suicide cases among men, which are on the rise, could be reduced.

Said Kalua: “We are telling people in these community engagements that they should always visit police victim support units spread across the district to be assisted on how to solve their problems.

“We are urging people to stop mob justice which sometimes kills innocent people and removes evidence that could lead police to do more on the issue in question.”

T/A Khwethemule commended the district stakeholders for the engagement, saying people are now aware of where to report their matter once they face problems.