Complaints over Blantyre, Limbe evening patrols
Some people who ply their trade in Limbe and Blantyre Central Business Districts (CBDs) have complained that the evening police street patrols are degenerating into a source of police brutality.
The people that we talked to have said police officers are beating and chasing people from the two business areas between 6 and 7pm.
One of the victims, a Limbe- Machinjiri minibus driver Grey Kamwana said some officers from Kanjedza based Police Mobile Service (PMS) B Company injured him and some of his passengers at a filling station in Limbe on Friday last week.
Kamwana who got injured on the eye was later treated at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital as an outpatient.
“I am failing to understand why those officers beat us up. It was after 6pm and before 7pm. Most of the people in my minibus were business and working class people going back to their respective homes. I reported the matter to Limbe Police Station where one of the officers gave me a medical report,” Kamwana said.
Southern Region Police Spokesperson James Kadadzera acknowledged to have heard reports of some police officers on patrol not serving the public’s interest.
He, however, said police are on the streets to bring confidence in members of the general public.
“We have been receiving several theft complaints Blantyre and Limbe Police stations. Thieves snatch people’s valuables such as money, handbags, cell phones during such times. So, Police took it as preventive measure to be patrolling the said areas around such times,” he said.
He said police have also noted that people are just spreading the news and the act of ill-treatment may not necessarily be there.
“People have been complaining but we are saying that if you think you have been ill-treated by a police officer, you should quickly report to the station in Blantyre or Limbe and meet the officer in charge there to lodge your complaint officially,” he said.
Kadadzera also called on people to cooperate with the officers whenever the police seek information from them instead of just running away upon seeing the officers.
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