Six police officers transferred

The commissioner of police for the Northern Region, Demester Chigwenembe, has transferred six police officers from Kafukule Police Post in Mzimba to other stations following three murder cases the officers failed to act upon in the area.

The community wrote the commissioner in early February, accusing the officers of negligence, corruption, unprofessional conduct and failure to investigate murder cases.

Following the complaints, Chigwenembe visited the area on Friday for an interface meeting with the community where he ordered the immediate transfer of all officers at the post to pave the way for investigations.

He said: “The problem is that it has taken us time to appoint a new in charge at the post after the incumbent retired. As a result, community policing structures died a natural death. So, there was no link between the police and members of the public. What we want to do now is to bring new staff and start a new chapter.”

But acting officer-in-charge at the post, Richard Thangala, who will be heading to Karonga, said misunderstandings between the police and communities date back to 2010 when a police officer shot a civilian after quarrelling at a beer joint.

He said since then there has been mistrust and suspicion between the two parties.

“Residents do not have trust in us. They always say evil things about us,” he complained, while disclosing that the officer who shot a civilian was transferred to Karonga.

Asked to give an update on the 2010 shooting case, Chigwenembe said: “We have deployed the in-charge of CID [Criminal investigation Department] to go through the records and look into all those issues. Whether one was transferred to Nsanje or Chikwawa, we will trace them and bring them to book.”

Mtwalo Area Development committee chairperson KamukhotiMkandawire, principal signatory to the letter, thanked Chigwenembe for transferring the officers, saying most of them had overstayed.

Said Mkandawire:“Some of them have been in the area for 15 years. As a result, they forgot what they came here for.