Home Affairs Minister Lameck Mangani says it is not right to keep juvenile offenders with hardcore criminals in the same cells.
Mr. Mangani however, says it is not mandatory that every police station must have separate rooms for juveniles.
The Home Affairs Ministers was speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today.
He said if found wanting, juveniles are always taken to their own remand prison at Katombola.
Mr. Mangani said that juveniles are held in custody just for further investigations reducing their chances of being abused by hardcore criminals.
He said this is the more reason why there are very few juveniles detained at police stations and posts around the country.
Mr. Mangani said it is rare that juveniles are detained but instead just undergo counseling during investigations.
The Minister said that juveniles are not supposed to be in custody with hardcore adult criminals as police stations have special conditions for them.
The minister was responding to media reports that a juvenile was abused whilst in custody at a named police station in Northern Province.
He further said that his ministry has not received any information about a juvenile who was abused while in police custody.
ZANIS
Mangani pliz put this to a halt. Policemen have that tendance. I remember one time in Kabwe a female who had committed an offence was almost put in the same cell with male counter parts but Mr. A. Daka, who I think is in Northen Province as commander objected, instead was give a separate cell. But during the night a male officer went and told the woman that once she agreed to his advancement would be released. The police office had cannal knowledge with the woman and was released. This came to light when the other officer took a rool call and only to find that the woman was not there, later in the week the woman was spottd in town and upon interrogations she said had sexual intercourse with the officer on duty at that night hence her release.
A thif is a thif regaless of age, so changaya them
First of all in Zambia there are no facilities of separating adults from juveniles. Secondly, Katombora is not a remand prison, but a reformatory school meaning those who go there are already convicted, not innocent as the case may be with remands