MPs take cops to task
Published On November 21, 2014 » 3506 Views» By Davies M.M Chanda » Latest News, Stories
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. Simuusa

. Simuusa

By CATHERINE NYIRENDA –

OPPOSITION Members of Parliament (MPs) have complained over the unprofessional conduct that the police officers sometimes exhibit in their execution of duty.

 

Contributing to the debate to approve the 2015 National Budget for the Zambia Police Service, Chembe MP Mwansa Mbulakulima advised the police to be professional in their conduct.

 

Mr Mbulakulima cited the recent police brutality on the University of Zambia students recently.

 

“Police should come up with a different formula of handling demonstrations and riots to avoid injury and loss of lives, Mr Mbulakulima said.

 

“Fifty years after Independence we cannot allow this unprofessionalism to continue where property and lives are lost.”

 

MMD Liuwa MP Situmbeko Musokotwane complained over the inadequate presence of police officers in the country to protect property and maintain law and order.

 

Dr Musokotwane said it was unfortunate that police officers concentrated on mounting roadblocks using their resources at the expense of protecting property and citizens of Zambia.

 

“What is so disappointing is that when a person goes to police for assistance they normally give an excuse on lack of transport to go to the scene of a crime and yet they use their own cars to mount roadblocks,” Dr Musokotwane said.

 

Home Affairs Minister Ngosa Simbyakula agreed with Dr Musokotwane over the limited number of police officers and resources to use to execute their business.

 

In the last three years the PF Government has been in power, they have managed to raise the number of police officers from 14,000 to 18,778.

 

The intention is to raise the number of police officers in the country to 27,000 and, hopefully by 2016 to have at least 20,000 police officers in the country.

 

Earlier, Agriculture and Livestock Minister Wylbur Simuusa assured farmers who sold their maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) that they would be paid their remaining K900 million by the first week of December this year.

 

Mr Simuusa told Parliament that at the moment funds were being released in tranches to pay the farmers.

 

“So far Government has paid off in excess of K500 million to farmers with the balance of K900 million to be paid between the last week of November and the first week of December,” Mr Simuusa said.

 

The minister also clarified that his ministry was currently receiving payments from farmers who were also collecting inputs for the 2014/15 farming season as opposed to allegations that the Government had stopped receiving payments for the programme.

 

The ministry has distributed 101,826 tonnes, which is a total requirement of D-Compound produced by Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ) to all districts countrywide.

 

Fifty per cent of the required Urea dressing of 101,826 per cent had been procured with more than 90 per cent of the total budget of 10,000 tonnes delivered.

 

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