Thursday, March 28, 2024

Police officers can conduct a search on any premise without a search warrant-Katongo

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Esther Katongo
Esther Katongo
Police Public Relations Officer Esther Mwaata Katongo has said that the general public should know that Police officers can conduct a search on any premise without a search warrant when they have reason to believe that a person to be arrested is in such a place and a person residing in or a person who is in charge of such a place must, on demand by the officers, allow them free entry and afford all reasonable facilities for a search.

Commenting on reports that on the incident in Southern Province that police officers raided a house without a warrant, Ms Katongo said that it is not in all instances where police officers require a search warrant for them to conduct a search.

Ms Katongo said the Police Service in Southern Province yesterday received information that Fanwell Siandenge the former police commissioner who has been on a police wanted list for a long time now, was spotted in Namwala.

“The Police Service in Southern Province yesterday received information that Fanwell Siandenge the former police commissioner who has been on a police wanted list for a long time now, was spotted in Namwala, due to that the report, a team of police officers went to Mr. Siandenge’s farm in Namwala in the early hours of today around 03: 00 hours and searched the two houses at the farm but did not find him there” Katongo said

Katongo said due to that the report, a team of police officers went to Mr. Siandenge’s farm in Namwala in the early hours of today around 03: 00 hours and searched the two houses at the farm but did not find him there.

She said Police Officers at the farm only found a woman in one of the two houses who was cooperative and she allowed the officers to search the house in which she was and nothing was found and she also led the officers to another house within the farm which was found abandoned with the door open.

Katongo noted that the occupants are suspected to have had run away after noticing the presence of Police officers and officers searched the house and found two shot guns with one round of ammunition which officers got.

She has since noted that contrary to reports trending on social media that police officers raped and harassed the people that were found at the farm, officers did not harass anyone and a search was conducted in the presence of the woman.

53 COMMENTS

  1. Why do they commit crimes and yet scared of the law and resort to hidding in bunkers and bushes? They are cowards and must be fished out without warning to answer for their wrongs.

    • My half brother was chained like a dog, locked up, tortured and abused at a Zambian policemans private house by a Zambian policeman in Zambia.

    • Police have no right to search anyone’s house without a search warrant. It’s called invading one’s civil liberties and they can be successfully sued. It’s no surprise that they were recently embarrased in court by the presiding Hon. Magistrate in the HH case.

    • is Zambia now a dictatorship? Police cannot search, without limit, any premises they wish to, without any checks and balance! What would happen where the officer in charges wakes up on the “wrong side” and decides to victimize his/her neighbor due to personal differences? If that is the case, i m afraid to come back to Zambia

    • This woman is living in pre independence era. This government doesn’t know anything about Democracy and Human Rights. I hope the Human Rights Commission can correct her on this.

  2. What did Siandenge do for him to be on wanted list for a long time? Kindly educate me.

    • My half brother was chained like a dog, locked up, tortured and abused at a Zambian policemans private house by a Zambian policeman in Zambia. FOR ONE WHOLE MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • It has to do with the 2016 presidential elections, he is not a robber, just political witch hunting.

    • Hachimbokaila Himukobeko (HH). Mr Sianndenge was involved in sabotaging government. He is the man behind UPND’s Mwaliteta terror activities.

  3. Just be moving with search warrants . If u have reason to Believe then go with one what’s so hard about that ? U take advantage of Zambians ignorance !!!! It’s not right .

    • My half brother was chained like a dog, locked up, tortured and abused at a Zambian policemans private house by a Zambian policeman in Zambia. FOR ONE WHOLE MONTH

  4. What Mwaata Katongo is saying is what i have known for many years.if a person has commited a crime,Police arrests that person without any notice.other things follow later.
    Besides,UPND members must stop commiting the crime if they are to enjoy peace.There is no peaceful country without law and order.Politics should not let one commits crime with impunity then expect to enjoy peace-Never!!
    AS LONG AS UPND MEMBERS KEEP ON BREAKING THE LAW,ZP WILL EVER BE ON THEM-SIMPLE!!

  5. Why is it that ignorance has continued to grow and rein under Lungu’s regime? Is he the first and last president of this country? Has the police become the legislature, the judiciary and the executive? I am not suprised since they say fish starts rotting from the head.

    • This is what we call HARASSMENT.. Why taking the two shot guns without verifying whether theowner bought them legally?? White colar crime.

    • She obviously hasn’t read law. She shouldn’t be in the police force. A warrant protects citizens from harassment. Police can keep watch over a building or property whilst they get a warrant but Zambia police are always in a hurry for results even when they haven’t done their homework.

  6. PF-Police have become judge, jury & executioner. They are a law unto themselves.

    – They use AK-47 live ammo on small girls exercising their right of assembly
    – They raid houses without any search warrant or warrant of arrest & torture the home-owners, urinate & sh!t on their matrimonial bed
    – They raid farms & rape women if they don’t find who they are looking for
    – They beat up a married woman till naked just because she wants her radio station opened. then she was charged with assaulting an officer. This was supported by a chopet veep who once lead NGOCC
    – They close radio stations if they feature an opposition member
    – Who can forget the video of PF-police beating up a woman who had fallen of a van at Luanshya magistrate?

    There was some hope after mwanawasa recruited…

    • CONT’D……

      There was some hope after mwanawasa recruited graduates like Brenda Muntemba. Now it’s back to primitive brutality. PF is spending more on police than on health.

    • Mr Sianndenge was involved in sabotaging government. He is the man behind UPND’s Mwaliteta terror activities despite being a police commissioner. He is a terrorist.

  7. Not everyone in uniform is a police officer madam katongo ba pf cadre.How many robbery incidences have we seen in Lusaka where robbers wear police uniform.HH was robbed recently by your men in uniform and you are defending their action.Useless pf police cadres!

  8. Officer Esther Mwaata Katongo has to be the most uninformed Public Relations Officer I have ever come across. She needs to study and fully understand what she releases to the press and nation

    • Mr Sianndenge was involved in sabotaging government. He is the man behind UPND’s Mwaliteta terror activities. He is a terrorist.

  9. Officer Esther Mwaata Katongo has to be the most uninformed Public Relations Officer I have ever come across. She needs to study and fully understand what she releases to the press and nation before releasing or issuing statements. Search warrants are mandatory on private property, public property that’s different.

    • Exactly my feelings. She should be fired as she is embarrassing The entire police forceservice

  10. Police officers don’t just wake up and go to conduct a search at an individual’s house. They are instructed. So why not issue them with search warrants? These are documents that should be readily available at all police stations. It should just be a question of signing them by the officer-in-charge

    • No commoner. A magistrate signs off the warrant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its a protective safety net to have a judge sign the warrant. Otherwise baZabwino palibe would be signing right, left and centre. Even when you collide at the girlfriend’s house.

  11. There is no country anywhere in the world with sane leadership that can give absolute freedom especially to school drop outs to do anything at any time without any control. No wonder we have seen increased levels of abuse of authority by these Zabwino Palibe cadres, and as we continue on the path of defending that which cannot be defended by such stink mouth vomiting cadres masquerading as PROs, then we are doomed .

  12. So if a police officer suspects that some dude is sh@gging his wife, raid the home of the suspect. You are allowed by the law. Wild West is coming near you!

  13. I have not seen police dogs for a long time, only when HH appeared in court! I don’t mean the police has come to the dogs!

  14. i thought police are reading or following what is happening in Court especially Magistrate Greenwell Malumani’s guidance to them on the HH & others Vs the People case. One of the reasons the state has lost that case if searching someone without a search warrant. That is precedence set and since they prosecutors whom i believe are conversant with what Katongo is arguing about whether true or not, failed to present such an argument in Court. Further katongo should cite necessary section of the law to help citizens and her police officers argue their case in court. The problem is when the court cases are in progress, Katongo seem to be absent to guide her officers which is putting them in very incompetent, awkward and embarrassing posture

  15. No, they have to have search warants. Just imagine to what extent policemen can become thieves if allowed to do whatever they want on citizens illegally. come on Zambians, come on!

  16. A search warrant is a necessary document before police conduct a search. It must clearly state the place, area, vessel or homestead to be searched ,name or names of the persons and also what the police are looking for during the search. It must be duly signed and issued by a registered by a judiciary officer who before signing will have interrogated the police as to why they require the warrant in question. However, there are exceptions to this rule., indeed a police officer may conduct a search if he suspects something is amiss, but if you raid a home at 3am I can refuse to be searched until you obtain a warrant you can in the meantime maintain vigil so that all members of the home/office etc. are in full view of the cops.

  17. Under Lungu’s PF government anything goes.
    in Zambia the PF police are the most dangerous criminals, they use their dirty uniforms and loaded guns to commit crimes that leave their victims devastated and scarred for life, that is if they are luck enough not to have been shot dead.
    They stole HH’s property and that could be end of story.
    Now they have been told that they can search anybody’s property without a warrant, in other words they may break into a house a do whatever they want. Lungu’s PF police covers them. What a country!

    • You are so right. Mr Sianndenge was involved in sabotaging government. He is the man behind UPND’s Mwaliteta terror activities despite being a police commissioner. He is dangerous criminal.

  18. How do you differentiate between a police officer and an impostor in uniform or an overzealous ex cop? I thought a search warrant was one of the key documents to assure an earmarked person that the mission is really official. Typical of banana republic.

  19. Mwata Katongo should have gone further to educate us when a search warrant is needed, otherwise we shall continue blaming them. Nowadays it is difficult to tell who is a real cop because PF cadres are also wearing police uniforms.

    • Her point is that, one does not a search warrant when looking for a dangerous criminal. Mr Sianndenge was involved in sabotaging government. He is the man behind UPND’s Mwaliteta terror activities despite being a police commissioner. He is a dangerous criminal.

    • Stealing votes is now normal GRZ work,take mwaliteta to court and prove the sabotage not ati he stole phones.We are waiting too much national resources on political cases.By the way which terror did mwaliteta commit and on who?

  20. If searching a house is an issue, why not just surrender oneself to the police? Mind you, you are innocent until proved otherwise.

  21. Either she has been misquoted, or this is the dumbest thing I have even heard from a law enforcement Officer in a position of influence to the public such as PR.

    Ba LT, do you have any evidence that Police Public Relations Officer Esther Mwaata Katongo actually said this? i.e. do you have any photos showing a written and signed statement she released? Or do you have any video clip of her actually saying what you have reported? If so, please publish them ASAP for you to remain believable to your readers, and also to cover yourselves when this lady U-turns and denies she ever said any of this, and I can guarantee you she will. She will even accuse you of things you did not know existed. Guys, be smart and use the technology to protect your integrity. The World is watching.

  22. This woman is living in pre independence era. This government doesn’t know anything about Democracy and Human Rights. I hope the Human Rights Commission can correct her on this.

  23. Political prosecutions by the dictator lungu……why don’t they tell the public what he is accused of.???

  24. This is dangerous ignorance of the law by a very senior police office and worse still the whole entire police service mouth piece. This is Zambia you Mwata Katangese, it’s not the jungle of Kolwezi or Kasumbalesa!

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