By Mphatso Malidadi & Daniel Zimba
Police are increasingly coming under community members’ attack, with at least 10 incidences of community members turning against police registered this year, The Daily Times can reveal.
An analysis done by The Daily Times indicates that there were at least five attacks on police establishments and personnel in the Eastern Region, in two cases leading to the death of police officers.
For instance, just this month, irate community members at Chiponde border in Mangochi District killed the in-charge of the border police establishment.
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Malawi Police Service spokesperson Peter Kalaya identified him as Benjamin Munthali.
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He was killed in the course of attempting to bring order to the area after a misunderstanding arose between Chipunga Estate owners and community members, who were tussling over land.
And, during the early hours of Sunday this week, a 25-year-old man lost his life during a fracas which ensued between Malawi Police Service officers and community members at Mpiripiri Trading Centre, Traditional Authority Makanjira, in Mangochi District.
A relation to the deceased, Alick Salama, identifed the victim as Peter Davis, a resident of Makanjira.
Salama said on Saturday night, Davis and other people were watching a football match on television when police officers, who were on patrol, ordered the closure of a bar which is located closer to the video showroom where some people, including Davis, were watching the match.
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“But the decision to close the bar did not go down well with imbibers, such that it culminated in a confrontation between them and police officers. After noticing that there was tension, I closed the video showroom,” Salama said.
But before he could leave the area, Salama said he heard gunshots which were apparently being fired by police officers.
“And when I went outside the video showroom, I found a motorbike, with Davis on the ground a few metres away. He had a bullet wound on his stomach. We took him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. Davis was not part of the people who were in the bar as he was a teetotaler,” Salama said.
As a result, some angry villagers took matters into their hands and attacked houses that are occupied by police officers who serve in the Makanjira area.
Mangochi Police Station spokesperson Amina Daudi confirmed that there was a fracas that led to the damaging of police officers’ property and houses.
“We regret the loss of the community member [‘s life] and our seniors are establishing what really happened and what should be done [about the situation],” Daudi said.
During the year, a road traffic police officer was hit by car while on duty in the Eastern Region.
In September this year, police shot dead a driver in Zomba City.
Eastern Region Police spokesperson Patrick Mussa confirmed at the time that there was a shooting incident after a driver allegedly violated laws.
Police sources in Zomba identified the driver as Zakeyu Matekenya of Migowi Village in Mulanje District.
“I confirm the death of a driver. The driver has been killed in a shooting incident at 4 Miles in Zomba,” he said.
When The Daily Times visited the scene at the time, it found some residents and law enforcers in running battles.
For close to two hours, the M3 Road stretch that was affected by the fracas was impassable.
This prompted Drivers Association of Malawi Safety Officer Booster Itika to demand justice for the driver.
“We want justice to prevail on the issue because an innocent driver cannot just be gunned down like that.
“There are penalties and actions that police must take against drivers who do not comply with road traffic regulations. In this scenario, they could have simply captured the number plate and tracked the car. We cannot be killed for failing to comply with laws,” Itika said.
Another scuffle was reported in Ntaja, Machinga, in February this year, among others.
We have also found that at least four incidences were recorded in the Central Region, including in Lilongwe City, Nkhotakota, Dedza and Mchinji—where taxi drivers blocked a bridge while demanding the transfer of a senior police officer this week.
Our investigations further indicate that there was at least one case in Karonga District, where some community members threatened to descend on a police establishment after kabaza motorcycle taxis were confiscated due to lack of registration numbers, drivers’ failure to put on helmets and a hit-and-run incident.
Such cases have prompted the Blantyre Policing Forum to raise concern over increasing cases of attacks on police officers.
In a statement, the forum says it is worried that some police officers have even lost lives due to misunderstandings with community members.
Meanwhile, People’s Federation for National Peace and Development (Pefenap) Executive Director Edward Chaka has said there is a need for community members to realise that “laws are applied without fear or favour”, such that the best thing to do is to abide by what laws stipulate.
“At the same time, there is a need to prioritise contact and dialogue when misunderstandings arise. There is a need to attach a human face to security issues so that situations should not be escalating into violence.
“And, again, community members should understand that there are no exceptions to the application of laws. Police officers are there to ensure order; they are there to protect life and property, a task they have been carrying out very well,” Chaka said.
He said Pefenap had been conducting public sensitisation meetings to address cases of misunderstanding between community members and Malawi Police Service officers.
“At the same time, we have been promoting collaboration between police and community members. That is why we have, at times, been distributing reflector jackets to community policing members.
“At first, there were conflicts between community policing members and members of the community because some community policing members were taking the law in their hands—for example, punishing those suspected of committing crimes—but that is no longer the case because, working together with police, we have sensitised community policing members to issues such as the importance of handing over crime suspects to police, who ensure that due processes of the law are followed and that justice is served,” Chaka said.
He then urged community members to be working hand-in-hand with police officers on security issues instead of turning against them, a development he said leads to lapses in security.
“It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that peace prevails in the country. When there is peace, foreign direct investors come to the country and, through their activities, the country can meet its socio-economic goals, as outlined in the Malawi 2063 vision,” Chaka said.
On his part, social commentator Lucky Mbewe called on security agents in the country to stick to professionalism and avoid being used for political purposes.
According to Mbewe, unprofessional conduct of some security agents partly fuels attacks on them as well as cases of mob justice in the country.
“When people perceive that police officers are not acting impartially, it creates resentment and can lead to violent confrontations,” Mbewe said.
In reaction, Malawi Police Service deputy spokesperson Harry Namwaza urged stakeholders to be following procedures when they feel aggrieved by some police personnel’s conduct.
“We urge the general public to be following proper procedures when lodging complaints against perceived police misconduct instead of taking the law in their hands.
“Police officers are dedicated professionals who take the role of protecting lives and property seriously, such that they follow procedures when discharging their duties,” Namwaza said.
