Maravi

Police deploy 1,000 officers to monitor PF petition hearing

Police deploy 1,000 officers to monitor PF petition hearing
Written by Agness Changala
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 4:50:02 PM

POLICE has deployed a total of 1,000 officers to maintain law and order in today’s Patriotic Front (PF) petition case which is seeking a recount of votes in last year’s presidential election.

During a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday, acting Inspector General of Police Francis Kabonde warned that police would not tolerate lawlessness among PF cadres in today’s election petition case, urging all parties involved to advise their members accordingly.

“To this effect, a total of 500 police officers, mainly combatants will be deployed for this exercise in order to maintain law and order and also another 500 to be on standby,” he said.

Kabonde said people needed to realise that the peace that Zambia was currently enjoying was not an accident but due to durable and sustainable efforts through political maturity among Zambians and non-Zambians alike.

He urged all parties wishing to be part of the audience at the Supreme Court to provide a platform of total tranquility and avoid anything hostile that would create anarchy.

Kabonde also urged both print and electronic media to first take pictures of offenders before doing so on police officers who were applying discipline on them.

He said those who managed to capture both the law breakers and police in action would be commended and rewarded for a great job done.

Kabonde also said he had directed the Copperbelt Province local command to ensure that officers looked after the mines to avoid or reduce asset stripping by unscrupulous persons who would take advantage of mine closures.

He expressed happiness at the drastic reduction of crime levels in Lusaka and Copperbelt, saying this was as a result of preventive measures police had put in place.

“These measures include intensified motorised and foot patrols in crime-prone areas on 24-hour service, especially in residential compounds like John Laing, Mtendere, Kanyama and others,” Kabonde said.

He also reiterated that he would not tolerate indiscipline among police officers because the public expected high levels of professionalism from them.

Kabonde urged all Zambians to uphold strict standards of integrity and honesty in their continued quest to create safer environments for economic growth

And Kabonde said police had increased the reward for those who voluntarily surrender illegal firearms from K200,000 to K300,000 per gun.

He said a total of K76,000,000 had been put aside for people who would voluntarily surrender illegal firearms to police throughout the country.

Kabonde urged members of the public who were still keeping illegal firearms to report to officers-in-charge of stations or posts who would inform his office for payment.

He said about 230 illegal firearms were expected to be collected with the money that had been set aside.

Meanwhile, Kabonde said he did not subscribe to the issue of ‘whistle-blowing’ because it was not provided for anywhere in the constitution.

Responding to a query on whether police’s decision to probe information leakages to the public protected whistle-blowers considering the fact that some organisations depended on them for information, Kabonde said there was no such thing as whistle-blowers, saying the fact that documents were obtained illegally meant the law had to apply.

He said it was wrong for public officers to obtain information illegally and make it available to every “Jim and Jack”, saying such actions put the security of the nation at risk both locally and internationally.

Kabonde said no government in the world operated without confidential information.

When asked further how State Security Act section 4 Cap 111 which forbids any government worker to communicate confidential information to unauthorised persons could be reconciled with the public’s interest, Kabonde said there were always right procedures to obtain information by getting to the right people in their positions.

Kabonde said the government was not run through the media but through established channels.

Labels: DEMONSTRATION, PF

posted by MrK @ 4:49 PM