By Serah Chilora & Isaac Salima:
President Lazarus Chakwera has commended the Malawi Police Service for the security services they are offering in the country.
He said where there is a vibrant police service, there is law and order in the country.
Chakwera made the remarks Friday when he presided over Police Pass- Out Parade at Limbe Police Training School in Blantyre.
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The President called on the graduated men and women in uniform to serve the country with due diligence.
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Should they do contrary to what the law requires of them, the law will take its course on them, he said.
“Do not go out there with selfish ambitions; do not go out there to abuse your uniform. Because if you do so the long arm of the law will find you and all your training will be in vain.
“Go and serve Malawians in the best possible way that you can. Go and foster security, order and law in the country because Malawians are looking up to you,” he said.
He said his administration has strengthened the human resource capacity of the Malawi Police Service by employing 6,000 more law enforcers since taking over power in 2020.
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“When a country is serious with its justice system, it has to provide at least two police officers to 1000 citizens. In Malawi with a population of about 20 million people, we needed at least 40,000 officers but when I came into power I found only 13,500 men in uniform. That is how I realised that we are not serious with we conduct our things,” Chakwera said.
He further added that in the next three months his government will recruit 2,000 additional police officers.
He urged the graduating officers not to join the police service with selfish motives.
“Do not forget that you have sacrificed a lot to reach this far. Being a police officer is a noble task to the country because you always ensure that order is maintained and smooth delivery of justice system. There are some officers who want to tarnish the good image of their fellows so you need to maintain high levels of discipline so that you can earn respect from those you serve,” Chakwera said.
Chakwera further said government has committed to giving Malawi Police Service required support so that they do their work efficiently.
“I want to assure you that the houses that we have started constructing will continue until we reach the desired number of 10,000 as we had mentioned. We know life is improving and technology is taking center stage. We will make sure that you are being supported,” he said.
He called on Minister of Homeland Security Ken Zikhale Ng’oma to work hand in hand with those in the finance to ensure that police officers are well remunerated.
“We must stop this idea that these people collect change on the roads,” he said.
In his statement, Zikhale Ng’oma said government will continue to recruit more police officers to attain the internationally recommended number of police officers.
“Malawi will soon have a Law Enforcement Academy. This will allow law enforcers attain higher levels of training. Crimes have become sophisticated and as such the police service needs police officers who are well trained.
“I urge you to go out there and work to the best of your ability and make sure that there is security, law and order in the country. In that way, people will thrive,” he said.
Inspector General of Police Merlyn Yolamu also urged the recruits to be patriotic and serve the nation with dedication.
“This recruitment could not come at a more opportune time as it has significantly increased our numbers as we anticipate policing the 2025 general elections. It has reduced the police population ration from 1,262 Malawians being policed by one officer to 1164 which is a significant milestone in the internationally recommended ratio,” she said.
Currently, Malawi has a total of 19,570 police officers.
