Inspector General of Police Dr Martin Malama has removed roadblocks to avoid corruption practices after the police service were cited as the most corrupt. Dr Malama was speaking yesterday morning on ZNBC TV’s Kwacha Goodmorning Zambia programme. Dr Malama said fighting corruption is not a political party’s fight but a national cause.
He further said that the corruption fight is not retributive but it is aimed at those that had stolen from the country. “The fight against corruption is not retribution, I am not from a political grouping that makes it partisan. The corruption fight looks like retribution but that is not what we are after. We are after those that have stolen from the public so that we can create a strong future” Dr Malama said.
And the police chief said that the fight against the Kitwe notorious guys called the JERABOS is now in the police’s favour by looking at the number of cases which are in court.
“If you look at the court records you will see that the zambian people are winning and some of the big names that you used to hear of are in court”, the Inspector General said.
Meanwhile the Inspector General of police has said that officers handling riots should not be armed. “People with riotous behaviours are not our enemies they are our brothers and sisters, they are not criminals, we should attend to them with minimum force” Dr Malama said.
He also stated that the police service are collaborating with other law enforcement Agencies to make sure that Zambians and visitors ensure safety on the road.
good sir twalicula sannalba lba popwe mushibila nsala happy year to u
“Meanwhile the Inspector General of police has said that officers handling riots should not be armed. “Riotous behaviours are not our enemies they are our brothers and sisters, they are not criminals, we should attend to them with minimum force” Dr Malama said.”
The United States could learn a thing or two from Zambia here. There’s a lot of brutal treatment of peaceful protesters going on in the US.
would love to correct the good doc, security check points have been removed but pa Nkana they are back in the heart of the city. Ninshi tafyumfwa fye te?
Was the writer of this article watching fireworks and lost a second or two of concentration? Very bad English!
I think your trip is such a great life eeenrixpce!! maybe not everyone understands it, but i truly support and very jealous of the two of you! it takes a lot of preparation and courage to do so. can’t wait to meet up and hear about more stories
Kabangwe police Officers have decided to move the road block further towards Kabwe, what is your problem, muleunfwa its no road blocks.
You must be very broke now
You must also work on yor information systems, the police cant use no computer and their commonest means of extrating information is brutal torture
road blocks yes,but check point yena awe.BRING BACK CHECK POINTS ON ROADS LEADIND OUT OF TOWNS, SIR.HW DO YOU HONESTLY REMOVE CHECKPOINTS.ITS THE TRAFFIC OFFICERS WHO HAVE ABUSED THE POINTS,AFTER THE ROAD BLOCKS WERE REMOVED.JUST ISSUE A DIRECTIVE THAT NO TRAFFIC OFFICERS SHOULD BE FOUND ON THESE CHECK POINTS.THE EARLIER THE BETTER BEFORE CRIMINALS TAKE ADVANTAGE.
Great shift by the police from being an armed force with weapons of war – AK-47s trying to hold back innocent citizens trying to democratically show their displeasure on a policy issue, to a service with batons!
Great move into civilization. Perhaps Zambia Police could now move onto training US police on how to allow citizens to demonstrate without being faced with chemical weapons and guns!!. We must move the UN from New York to Lusaka!!
Don’t exagerate. I’m no fan of U.S. police, but Zambian police? They are brutal! And rarely investigated for police brutality.
Mr. Malama i wish to disagree with you, the rational behind check points is still vital and very much alive, if the your police officers are corrupt please deal with such specific issue, otherwise no check points, street vending etc is now dangerous.
Uko iwe
Happy new year ba kapokola!
why is it that riot police always fire live rounds then , man u r shit an accident shld happen with an organised body like the police
Removing road blocks will increase road accidents on our badly designed roads. If the police are suspected of corruption then the IG should direct all officers not to handle cash but issue tickets to anyone in violation of traffic rules. These tickets should not be general receipts but government issued documents with serial numbers that can be traced to each officer. We must have permanent police check points all major roads to ensure all vehicles passing through are road worthy and comply with traffic rules. The IG should look at educating and equipping officers so that they can perform their duties properly. Most of them turn to corruption because they are poorly paid and work under difficult conditions. Please bring back that police check point at west wood along Lumumba road.
Mr malama these policeman of urs are all over mounting roadblocks. Do they respect ur orders?
1/10 very bad english in this article. Malama road blocks are a must and should be encouraged on very corner of Zambia. Not all police men and women are corrupt like him. If road blocks can check on those useless and not road worthy vehicles then why do away with them. This man is not thinking. I can now imagine a road full of wrecks that are dangerous to people. Sir, just think like a human being and bring back road blocks we need them for our safety. I end here!
IT WAS TOO MUCH OF THE POLICE TRAFFIC AND THEY KNEW THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO FEED FROM US. I WAS BOTHERED ONCE BY A MAKE OFFICER CLAIMING I GOT THE LICENCE ILLEGALY BECAUSE I LOOKED YOUNG. NOW I CAN DRIVE FREELY.
cont.
Our roads are becoming congested with cheap second hand imports hence the need for police to control some of these unruly drivers. Quite frankly I would support the police if they made a bit on the side as an incentive to target the worst offenders such as minibus drivers and some somali truck drivers. We should also look at the bigger picture, only a person who does not comply with traffic rules will be in support of the removal of road blocks and those that comply with the rules have not need to bribe an officer.
IG Dr. Malama must be advised to utilise the fine services of the CIDs within the Investigating Wing of the Police Service to track down the corrupt Police Officers. Good Citizens appreciate the role of Police road blocks where many stollen vehicles and looted properties have been impounded by hard-working Police Officers. Otherwise a good clean-up must start with the IG himself to respect the integrity of his junior female Officers.
Police Checks r necessary Mr Malama,very necessary, dont be mistaken if u reading this. Prevents crime big time. Its the Un professional way they carry out their duties.They have become extremely Fascist and cruel towards the innocent people and people just simply and purely hate them.There should be a department in your system where people can report them without being victimised.You really have to work on this and no ammount of false public relations will work for u if u r not honest.Its a tough task but u have no choice.Instead of sitting in your office go around every city , town and village to get first hand info from citizens. Thank u and good luck. Happy new year
You think you can handle a real riot, like the one which took place in mansa and mongu with kid gloves ayii ba inspector? Wait, you will be tested soon.
I always thought that the reason behind road blocks is to ensure that only roadworthy vehicles are allowed to move on the roads. Removing them is going to give a green light to unlicensed drivers and vehicles plying our roads. It is time the police service picked up it’s pace on moving into the digital age.
You are right, except that the road blocks did not serve that purpose – vehicles that were/are unfit to be on the road or overloaded kept (and keep) moving as long as one pays the bribe and no wonder there are so many accidents which can be avoid the police been professoonal.
Abrupt road blocks are disruptive both to business and the normal flow of traffic, but as fellow bloggers have already stated, we need some selected check points where suspected criminals can be nabbed and their cars search for stolen items or unauthorised/unlicenced weapons.
Good thing they realize that ZP is corrupt. I didn’t think they knew.
We dont need these road blocks as they dont serve any meaningful purpose. What we need are serious road patrols, you dont find check points in crime infested countries like South AFRICA. Let us evaluate as to whether road traffic crimes shall increase or not without these road check points. Stolen copper always passes through these check points without being ‘detected’, unroad worthy vehicles easily pass through these check points with easy. The problem is that we are used to live with these check points from the Kaunda error and we think without them something terrible will happen. These check points made sense in the Kaunda error because of the security concerns with our neighbouring countries then. The Police should just re-engineer their operation.
GRZ must invest in the police service who are doing a great job under very difficult conditions. I personally do not agree with Dr. Malama on the issue of check points. I think we need ‘road blocks’ considering that ZP have no squad cars that are mounted with computers to check on offenders like here in the United States. Until GRZ equip ZP with proper squad cars, it is necessary to mount random road blocks. ZP do not have proper riot gear hence the need to be armed. These people are lowly paid and sending them in arms way without protection is unprofessional. I would not allow my children to join ZP if they will be send out without riot gear. Countrymen, let us respect the role of the police as these men and women put their lives on the line every time they report for work.
More crime coming jelabos driving anyhow and anywhere wait soon we shall need the corrupt police.We only needed to come up with other strict measures otherwise kaya………………?
Police at roadblocks generally checked for defects on cars to get some money off you rather than to make roads safer. Accidents, over-speeding. unfit cars on the road, it all happened regardless of road-blocks. All you did was pay a cop and you could overspeed again or continue driving your defective car, or indeed drive whilst very drunk. Removing roadblocks only denies the cops opportunities to seek that extra buck but does not change the corrupt mindset or the factors that lead to corruption in the first place, i.e low pay and un-enforced work ethics within the establishment, from top to bottom. @ MUNTU: I fail to see the connection between street vendors and roadblocks.
police checks or road blocks are not necessary in Zambia. Police officers are just targeting canters carrying farmers’ produce, minibuses, taxis etc. This problem is rampant is Choma and Kalomo. Vehicles that are detected to have faults are allowed to go after paying a fine, does that make the vehicle less dangerous to the public? the answer is no. The government must buy a lot of motor bikes and vehicles for traffic officers so that they are mobile and detect offenders as they commit offences. Being stationed at one point is an ancient way of operating.
well done malama,especially at kafue bridge there was too much roadblocks,track the policeofficers in mazabuka who mount sinister roadblocks to demand money from village motorists,clean up mazabuka police!
Africans are a disgrace. Just look at that picture of the police commissioners deputy, the nonchalant disintrested ,dis-sheveled looking prostitute who seems to thinking “uncle daddy, you havent paid me for last night”
Awe mukwai ba Malama tamufisovele nangu panono. Its not the roadblocks that are corrrupt, its the policemen!
# 28 I agree with you. What that Malama should do is what he is doing with other corrupt ion cases. Arrest the culprits , because if you leave those corrupt policemen to work normally as if there is nothing, then they will find other ways to satisfy their corrupt appetite.
Ba Dr Malama, iliko trick decision yenu.
MAN OF SUBSTANCE, THIS WAS A NICE MOVE.
Can someonw twll thias medical doctor (Malama) who has ended up as Inspector General that the attire he is wearing in the picture is for ceremonial activities and not the office. Also, we DO NOT wear hats in the office please!
thats better. police officerswr getting thr 2nd pay on the road leaving th drivers hungry
Typical of decisions that are made in Africa .i.e. working on the symptoms rather than on the real cause. Most things in life are either a process or system and if the system is corrupt or susceptible to corruption then simply dealing with the results or outcome will not solve the underlying problem. A person at the level of Dr Malama should be looking at strategy and long term planning rather than the operational details. Another possible solution would have been to reduce the number of road blocks and only leave them in areas that are potentially dangerous or likely to present the most risk to the public. Then again I have to remind myself that I am not the I.G. but one of the many concerned Zambians who simply love their country.
This decision has pros and cons. What I know is corruption is embedded in an avearage Zambian, cops included. It’s a cancer, too difficult to administer. You can never wipe out corruption, you can only do as much, take certain measures to curtail it, not to wipe it out completely. And hey, I was listening to the President’s New Year Eve message on ZNBC TV last evening. I was flabbergasted to hear the Presidio castigate, in a manner of speaking, the Ndulos and and other eminent lawyers in the diaspora. I could tell that he went out of his prepared speech to castigate the Ndulos and other lawyers who made observations on the constitution making process. It was not necessary.
Where did this Malama obtain his PhD? The bloke comes accross overly dull for one with such high qualification. The other thing is the “Kasainazation” of this site, who the hell told these ‘Katangese Kabokes’ that all Zambians can understand their stinking “lingala”? Well, they should realise there is no faster way to destroy national unity than try to force this Central African venacular of theirs on us Southern Africans, sure way to split a nation.
Dr Malama has no PHD, he is a medical doctor from Ridgeway campus, he joined the police when he was still a student.
Do you have a problem with Kasai or Lingala speaking people?
What’s wrong with Kasai or Lingala? some *****s want to forget that Zambians had to fight Discrimination by race by Europeans. What makes discrimination by tribe or langUage acceptable? A Kasai is a human being Period.
Suggestion- first of all, empower officers with transportation. Buy them enough cars to patrol randomly. They don’t need to make check points but strategically park along roads, malls , schools, highways etc and can follow any suspicious vehicle or individual without interrupting the flow of traffic. Computerize police force and link it to road traffic system nation wide this will pay off in the long run.
Now lets wait for his U-turn. maybe counting how many days he takes before he u-turns will be interesting, day 1 tomorrow!
Mr IG, Now that U accept that there is corruption in ZP But why is that UN Police officers are spending 2 years Doing Mission work under UN, why cant it be One year for each Police officer so that every police officer can Enjoy the fruilts of UN. Show the world that u are NOT Corrupt yourself First Sir, NO Extentions Please!
This just makes life easy for traffickers, thieves; poachers etc just deal with corrupted cops. The cops can’t fight riotous behaviors without arms plz. :d
Mwachepa sana ba Malama, you cant wipe out the ATMs for trafic police officers. They are still mounting road blocks.
500 people have commented, waiting for response from police dept. Some very valid.. Hullo, Mr Policemen, R U THERE or not intrested. ??
WHOEVER IS AGAINST THIS DECISION OF BANISHING ROAD BLOCKS IS NOT A DRIVER. YOU’VE NOT FELT THE PINCH THESE IRRITATING POLICE OFFICERS, EVEN FOREIGNERS COMPLAIN OF THE SAME ROAD BLOCKS IN ZAMBIA. TRAVEL AROUND AND YOU WILL NOTE THAT TRAFFICK CHECK IS THERE WHERE NOT EXPECTED.
I think the whole police should be abolished hahahaha! why do I say so? Coz we need check points but however system (tickets etc) that may be put in place, people would still pay the corrupt police to avoid them. So it is the corrucpt police who need to be removed here. The law enforcement agents being the most corrupt… awe suwa! These directives have been issued before but it is just a week before they are back on the road, whose directive only known to themselves.
Somewhat figurative or metapholic my earlier contribution may sound what I meant was the police practice corruption themselves. I have hardly heard of a policeman fired coz of corruption. They are always warned but such a service to be the most corrupt, it takes a whole different but very courageous approach before it become the country’s accepted norm. We are actually there, just at the verge of the cliff. Dr please make sure they pratcise what you preach. To me they seem to be a whole bunch of corrupt and stabborn thieves in uniforms who have taken work for personal gain. They can go for road blocks even in the rains using personal cars without being forced.
Speaking for myself I despise the Zambia Police. Being helpful is not their speciality and if you have changed from police force to police service I still feel like I am dealing with the police force. Soft skills need to be included as part of the training, everything still feels like a fight or worse like daylight robbery. You do need a department where the public can register their complaints. Just last week I was stopped by Police conducting impromptu checks before luanshya turn off – coming from kapiri – these Jokers alleged that I was speeding and offered to assist me by taking 50pin rather than the full charge or impounding the vehicle…note they had no speed gun it was my word against theirs…I hate ZP useless drain on taxpayers money that they are.
What happened? did you pay them? The country should institute a body to investigate corrupt accts in the Police
Oh I’m not even done yet…if you have a break in – they cant come at the time citing no gas or no transport as their excuse yet I see police vehicles zooming around Lusaka everywhere I go doing everything but fighting crime, just burning gas paid for using the tax I Pay, how many murder cases have been solved lately I wonder if these guys even have KPI’s. Elo when it comes to the phrase abuse of authority that term must have been coined by ZP. Useless parasites.
Lastly I wonder what percentage of guns used by criminals have their source in the Zambia Police Force? ZP are the biggest hindrance to the fight against both crime and corruption in Zambia. I pray to God that you are the IG who will take some pride in their work by working to stamp out mediocrity and opportunism that characterises Zambia police. You need to stop the rot within the Police, work from the inside out if you are even going to make a dent on the upward trend in crime in Zambia…
With or without the roadblocks things are the same on our roads,the diference wil only be that thez chaps wil now be so brok.
TRAFIC OFFICERS are the most corrupt civil servants especially a Mr Zulu who is building a house in Ndeke site and service and works at Ndola central police.
That oficer wil now get a loan to finish his structures and that wil pin the crook dowm,jst watch him.
The removal of road blocks is in bad faith as the pf government must transporting illegal items in and out of zambia. Belief once they are done the roads will come back in full force because there is no country in the world where there no police check points, our brothers in power are busy stealing
Everything has advantages and Disadvantage,we are happy but more efforts should be made to avoid accidents and motor vehicle theft.It is our duty as citizens to be reporting what ever wrongs be experienced on the Roads.On Monday I was coming from Mufulira,the bus was over loaded and unfortunately,the springs got cut due overloading.So to Our Bus drivers,they should respect the freedom given to them by The IG
Bwana IG Dr Malama, can you explain the roadblocks in Solwezi!
job well done doctor malama.keep up the good work.