Maravi

Police are the most corrupt, says Mateyo

Police are the most corrupt, says Mateyo
By Namakau Nalumango
Wednesday February 06, 2008 [03:00]

Inspector General of Police Ephraim Mateyo has said he believed the Zambia Police Service was leading the race in terms of being corrupt. Speaking during the official opening of a refresher course in traffic management at Lilayi training college in Lusaka on Monday, Mateyo said although he was aware that corruption was not only in the police service but other ministries and public institutions as well, he believed the police were topping the list in terms of being corrupt.

“I believe we are leading in that race that will send us into jail,” Mateyo said.
He said traffic officers were in the forefront of denting the face of Zambia police.
“Why should you complain when I remove you from traffic section? Is it because of nicekeleko?” Mateyo asked.

He said some of the things that traffic officers got involved in were embarrassing.
“You stop a vehicle and half your body is in the car. And when you remove your person from the car, you fail to wave using your right hand because the other hand is holding the bribe and the poor constable just looks on at the inspector. It’s embarrassing. Let us stop it,” Mateyo urged.

He cautioned members of the public to stop encouraging traffic officers in corrupt activities by bribing them because it took two to committee such a crime.
And Anti-Corruption Commission director general Nixon Banda said the refresher course was the first of its kind aimed at sensitising police traffic officers about the dangers of corruption after his office received a lot of complaints.

Banda said the organisation had to set aside some funds to carry out the programme. He said such refresher courses were on-going in the sense that they were identifying institutions where they could carry out such exercises.

And college commandant Eugene Sibote recommended that traffic officers who misconduct themselves on the road should be reverted to other functions.
He said he realised that traffic officers were exposed to certain vices on the road and their actions had a great bearing on society as a whole.

“These officers are like front desk officers of the police because they are the people the public gets to meet everyday,” said Sibote.

Labels: CORRUPTION, EPHRAIM MATEYO

posted by MrK @ 3:36 AM