Police officers accused of cashing in on Judiciary strike
Police in Mchinji have come under fire for allegedly conducting themselves unprofessionally by, among others, arresting people on an outlawed charge of rogue and vagabond.
The police are also being accused of demanding money from the suspects.
Mchinji Police Station spokesperson Kaitano Lubrino on Friday confirmed that since August 3 2017, the station has been rounding up people suspected of having committed various crimes.
He said on the first day of the operation, the law enforcers arrested 126 residents from Kamwendo, Kapiri and Mchinji Central Business District. Out of these, seven were women.
“The exercise formed part of routine police operations that facilitate the arrests of all wanted persons to reduce crime in the country and in Mchinji in particular,” he said.
However, bar owners, fun-lovers, vendors and restaurant operators questioned the police conduct when the law enforcers invaded various stalls where they confiscated various items and demanded money from the targeted shop owners.
One of the affected traders, who runs a restaurant at Mchinji Boma, told The Nation in confidence that upon arrival at the station, the law enforcers also demanded K5 000 from each of them.
He said: “Adatiuza kuti tidzipulumutse tokha ngati sitikufuna kukhala mselo mpakana pomwe makhoti adzatsegulidwenso [They told us to pay them if we didn’t want to remain in the cell until the Judiciary strike is over].”
Mchinji Police Station officer-in-charge (OC) Maxmas Thomson Bakali said although he was not aware of the development, he could not rule out the unprofessional conduct by some officers. n
