Hope for Human Rights Executive Director Smart Chanda has expressed worry over the shortage of police officers during the welcoming of the Chipolopolo boys at the Lusaka show grounds.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today, Mr Chanda said the police who were present at the show grounds during the celebrations were not enough to control the crowd.
Mr Chanda said that the police should have involved the Defence forces to beef up security and prevent the loss of one life and the casualties that were recorded during the celebrations.
He urged the police to be alert at all times especially during such celebrations in the country.
Mr Chanda has since appealed to government to make sure that the police prepare adequately before such national events takes place.
He has however thanked the Chipolopolo boys for bringing honor to the country by winning the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
He said the AFCON win by the boys is a great achievement to the country and members of the public should celebrate it responsibly to avoid mishaps.
Meanwhile Mr Chanda has called upon all opposition political parties in the country to stop criticizing the President over the alignment of Districts.
He said the alignment of districts is a good move done in good faith and it should be supported by everyone who understands decentralization.
Mr Chanda said the alignment of districts will bring development to the people involved and therefore it should not be criticized.
He has urged the opposition parties not to criticize government anyhow but to give credit where it is necessary.
Mr Chanda has advised the leaders of the opposition parties to set a good example to the people by showing responsibility in what they do and say.
ZANIS
i watched that procession and was not at all happy with the security arrangemnets. our VP, ministers, players and other diginitaries were exposed to risk. lets work on such lapses please.
could that be reason IG was fired?
#2 I’m thinking the same too. We need an explanation
Zambia has no equipment to cater for such, not even bar-rackets to control flow of people. Sad indeed but anyhow job well Done Police. We never had such a celebration. We learn from mistakes. VIVA CHIPOLOPOLO
sure we learn from mistakes-I hope our minister of home affairs Kenny Sakeni is learning something from this.
He was making sense, until he started running his mouth over the realignment of Districts and mixing it with Decentralisation to seek favours.
We have to know that our ability to control crowd will also be looked at should we seek to host an international event such as AfCon that we have just won.
Now that we have the trophy we have a legitimate right to bid to host the tournament if we can beef up our infrastructure and security control of chitakataka or sicaba. It shows what a joke our law enforcement is – why did we even have soldiers from the army there at a civil event? Was because of soldier Katongo or our cops couldn’t get their act together? Shocking!
His name “Smart” is completely opposite from this guy’s thoughts. You are lucky Zambia is now under soft-woman IG, if it was Kabonde even your Human Rights opposition party would have been whipped, as Lozis.
In such celebrations no terrorists like Mushala will do anything terrible.
There shouldnt be any shortage, road blocks are manned by 10 police officers doing nothing but just waiting for bribes.
Yes, together with the shootings in Mongu, Mazabuka, Kalingalinga, etc. this proves yet again that ZP are poorly trained and unprepared for anything to do with crowd control. The way people were talking before the match it was “certain” we would win so not having a plan for how to deal with the team’s return is no excuse!!!
Can’t some donor (US, UK, etc…. not China!) please send some police advisers to train these guys the way they send military advisers around the world…..preferably before we all get shot or fall off a tower or through somebody’s roof next time Chipolopolo win a match?
WHY EVERYTHING POLICE AND THE MILITARY . SUCH OCCASIONS CONSIDERING THE NUMBERS ARE HELD IN STADIA . YOU DON’T HAVE INFRASTRUCTURE COUPLED WITH POOR PLANNING…… A SECTIONAL VIEW OF GOVERNANCE.
If IG was fired because of this failure, then Home Affairs minister, Sakeni, should also go.
I noticed that security men present were also active participants in the celebrations. They conveniently mingled with the crowds they were supposed to police. I could hardly tell who was who. It was good they didn’t misbehave. Let’s avoid learning from mistakes
off couse the police didnt want kwikala pasansa of the fans ah ah they were excited too.sometimes we just have to control ourselves it doesnt have to take someone to tell you to be careful when its you own life.if only big pipo would have behaved the children would have followed suit.