Sakeni warns cops over corruption

Sakeni warns cops over corruption
By Darious Kapembwa in Kitwe
Sat 26 Nov. 2011, 12:00 CAT

DO not engage in any form of corruption if you want to stay in employment, Kennedy Sakeni has told police officers. And police officers in Kitwe have rejected the blue uniform introduced by the MMD government last year.

Speaking when he addressed senior officers from various units at Kamfinsa Training School on Thursday, Sakeni, who is home affairs minister, warned that corrupt officers had no place in the police force.

"If you are corrupt, your days are numbered. Avoid corruption of all forms. At least we don't have problems with you Mobile Unit officers, but complaints of corruption are rampant with traffic police," Sakeni said.

During the same gathering, officers unanimously told Sakeni not to purchase the new-look uniforms that were introduced in the service by the Rupiah Banda-led MMD government.

This was after Sakeni asked police officers to freely air their grievances on their operational problems.
"This uniform is a bad one," said one police officer as others joined in the condemnation amidst laughter.

Sakeni agreed with the officers' misgivings on the issue, saying he and President Michael Sata had noticed the ‘strange uniform' during the campaign trail in the run-up to the September 20 tripartite elections.

"How can you distinguish officers from security guards that wear this uniform?" Sakeni wondered.

Meanwhile, Kamfinsa Mobile division commander Peacewell Mweemba revealed the numerous problems that faced the institution.

"We have no training aids like rubber bullets, transport, housing and water. These are very serious challenges sir," Mweemba explained.

He said there were only 500 housing units against the population of 1,200 officers.

"Sewer spillages are posing a danger to the lives of officers and their families. There is no adequate accommodation for both male and female trainee officers and also feeding our officers spread around the eight provinces is a challenge due to the shortages of food rations," said Mweemba.

Sakeni, however, promised that the government would find money even if there was no provision in the budget to ensure that rubber bullets and other training materials were procured.

"Many a time you are blamed for using live bullets when in essence you do not have proper non-lethal machinery to quell unrest and civil uprisings," Sakeni said.

And Sakeni, who toured many police stations in Kitwe unannounced, warned police officers that are reportedly conniving with jerabos organised criminal gangs that they would soon be ‘finished'.

Sakeni directed Kitwe district officer commanding Chibesa Musa to immediately arrest the Kalulushi man who was drugging young girls and later on unleash his bull dog to have sexual intercourse with the girls.

The man is believed to be on the run with the aid of some police officers in Kalulushi who were allegedly bribed to secure his freedom.