Calm has returned to Kamwaza Village in Chieftainess Kawaza of Katete District where residents burnt a police vehicle and left several nursing serious injuries in hospital following a violent protest.
Police had gone to Kamwaza to investigate people who had destroyed a house of headman Chinzu over accusations that he was harbouring murder suspects whom the police had set free.
Kapangulula Ward Councillor, Felix Mbewe says the situation in Kamwanza is now calm and that there is no longer police presence in the village.
“The situation is quite okay. The police went back yesterday after they appreciated the situation,” he said.
Mr Mbewe said as of yesterday, people deserted the village for fear of heavy police presence following a beef up of officers.
And Police Deputy Inspector General In-Charge of Operations, Milner Muyambango yesterday was in Kamwanza area to marshall the police against the unruly residents of Kamwanza.
Mr Muyambago also visited the police officers who are admitted at Saint Francis Mission Hospital after suffering serious injuries when they were violently attacked by villagers.
Only two police officers were still admitted at St Francis Mission Hospital after 7 were discharged, and the condition of the duo is said to be stable.
On November 19, nine police officers were attacked and injured by unruly residents who did not want the officers to investigate an incident of instant justice mob that had left headman Chinzu homeless after his house was razed down.
The mob accused the headman of habouring murder suspects, an accusation the headman says was misplaced as he only became victim of the mob justice because his daughter is married to one of the murder suspects that police had arrested but released due to scant information linking them to the murder
Meanwhile, the opposition Golden Party Zambia (GPZ) has condemn the violent attack on the Zambia Police Officers by some members of the community in Katate District, Eastern Province.
GPZ President Jackson Silavwe told Byta FM News that the violence that was channelled on the law enforcers is extremely regrettable and the culprits must be arrested and prosecuted swiftly.
Mr Silavwe has called for police reforms in the service immediately, saying that the Zambia Police Service (ZP) is not adequately responding to the needs of communities hence the rise in crime levels throughout the Country.
Mr Silavwe wondered why police officers spend the whole day at traffic lights helping the robots instead of preventing and solving crime in communities.
The opposition leaders states that the police command must take this unfortunate attack as a sign of diminishing people’s confidence in the service and urgently reset it’s priorities in as far as policing the Country is concerned.
Bakapokola twalimibwelamo kale sana