Officers drilled to fight human trafficking
Love Justice Malawi is training about 96 police officers from MangochiDistrict in human trafficking related cases.
The training comes after the lakeshore district registered a number of trafficking in persons cases in 2020.
Speaking at the opening of the four-day training on Tuesday in the district, Mangochi Police Station officer-in-charge Francis Chisoti welcomed the training, saying human trafficking was a felony as stated in the Human Trafficking Act.
He said: “Being a border district, we expectthe cases to decline as officers have been equipped with basic skills to fight the vice.
“According to police findings, the victims are forcibly and fraudulently trafficked outside the country. However, they face challenges such as forced labour and sexual exploitation in their destinations.”
Chisoti commended Love Justice Malawi for the training and encouraged participants to take the course seriously.
“I also urge you to continue patrolling uncharted routes which traffickers use,” he said.
In his remarks, Love Justice Malawi training coordinator Frank Banda said human trafficking was a crime that needed serious attention.
He said: “Previously, lack of knowledge in handling such cases has contributed to the loss of cases in court.
“We expect the officers to apply the knowledge to effectively fight the vice in the district.”
A participant Sub Inspector Gift Maggie Kalotisaid the training will equip her with skills to detect human trafficking activities.
Mangochi has Chiponde and Makanjira border posts, but some people use uncharted routes.
