Lusaka Province Police Commissioner Charity Katanga has urged her fellow police officers to be professional in the administration of bond to suspects facing bondable charges.
Mrs. Katanga said it was unfortunate that some police officers have the tendency of detaining suspects for more than 48 hours in the holding cells.
She said anyone alleged to have committed an offense has the right to access police bond because that person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the courts of law.
Mrs. Katanga noted that there were misconceptions by the members of the public in the assessment of either bond or bail.
She said the public should take keen interest in order to be enlightened on the issue.
She stated that the public should know that assessment of bond as well as bail is free as long as one provides a surety.
Mrs. Katanga said police officers should desist from detaining suspects unnecessarily because this results in overcrowding in the detention facilities.
She said inadequacies in the penal laws such as absence of proper guidelines in the exercise of discretion on the part of the police and the court when granting either bond or bail is a major contributing factor to high numbers of pre-trial detainees.
Mrs. Katanga was speaking in Lusaka today during a two-day consultative workshop for the implementation of bond and bail reforms in Zambia.
And speaking at the same function, Human Rights Commission (HRC) Deputy Director Katendi Nkombo, said the commission surveys on the access to bond and bail indicate that the legislation has been very restrictive showing over 80 percent of accused persons at pre-trial-stage not having accessed bond or bail despite facing bondable or bailable charges.
She said the right for the person to be presumed innocent is a fundamental human right and a core principle in the administration of criminal justice.
They also need to address the issue of police insisting on impounding vehicles for non-impoundable offences…
ARREST EDGAR LUNGU AND EVERYONE IN PF MASQUERADING AS GOVERNMENT LEADERS WHEN IN ACTUAL FACT THESE ARE CRIMINALS BUSY LOOTING OUR NATION OF ITS MEAGER RESOURCES. THESE THIEVES ARE THERE TO SERVE THEMSELVES. THEY ARE BUSY BORROWING MONEY FROM INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS AND COUNTRIES, YET WE DON’T SEE ITS USAGE IN THE COUNTRY. ZAMBIANS LET US ALL STAND UP AND STOP THESE THUGS FROM PLUNDERING OUR COUNTRY.
Police are aware that people do not like to be inconvenienced over minor offences especially traffic offences and they use this psychology perfectly by dangling freedom in exchange for the offender loading their pockets. Everybody knows that the Police high command is aware and tolerates this corruption but all seem impotent to do something about it. Such forum exchanges may help, perhaps.
There are many issues about the police. This particular one of impounding vehicles is one. In addition a police officer is not supposed to get in the vehicle with you in the name of impounding your vehicle. Grabbing keys from the car owner is unnecessary. With such a corrupt police force there is the issue of safety. They do these things to put pressure onus so that we can pay bribes.
@Professional
You have hit the nail squarely on the head.
Traffic infractions are not impoundable offenses. Even if they were, police officers are not supposed to get on or operate your vehicle.
And this Katanga woman is saying the public is supposed to take interest in the law. A police office must not break the law under the pretext that the public is ignorant. It is not that the public is ignorant but the public is intimidated with beatings and unlawful detentions. We give in, not because we don’t know the law, but because we don’t want to be inconvenienced further and save ourselves from the brutality of the ignorant police officers.
And the DC must go to the gym instead of just consuming. He does not look healthy with his kamimba—
Yes most Zambians are fat sick. No wonder we have lots of people suddenly dropping dead nowadays – please exercise. Walk instead of always driving Japanese second hand cars.
The unfortunate thing is that most people in Zambia think having a gross belly like that is a sign of high status, wealth and health. It is such a sick mindset….ati na dyela. Maybe its suffering too much in childhood that some people want to make up for lost meals or maybe people think they can stock up in their bellies the way camels store water in their humps for potential dry spells…. I dont know, poverty mindset eitherway. I see a flood diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes etc in Zambia. By the way it’s well documented that being overweight drops a mans performance in bed so why or why. Please for your own good and that of your children eat correctly, drink moderately and work out. In this day and age people please….. sorry for going off topic but that belly awe mwandi.
Shamabanse was fired by ECL a long time ago!!!Is it because of the “Chi Stomach”?
where is Vodka… I like the guy
These observations are supposed to have been coming from the IG Ms Libongani & they are long overdue.The Police require directives like these & held accountable if they are not observing the law.Seriously speaking ECL should retire Libongani,she has made the police very useless,ignorant & unaccountable & very, very corrupt.Commissioner Charity Katanga can do well in her position.
Zambian’s, Just look @ that Belly on the “Belly politician” – Shamabanse!
Does anyone in their right mind believe such a person is in the position to look after their interests, & wellbieng?? Come on Zambian’s, this guy Shamabanse is “there to eat”, & after eating, he cannot even look after himself by going to the gym, to burn off the excess fat acquired from eating too much tax- payer funded Michopo.
Twafwa pa Zed with this calibre of leadership!
Well spoken charity, we need more brains like you in the service