By JAMES KUNDA –
INSPECTOR General of Police Stella Libongani has admonished former Lubanseshi Independent member of Parliament (MP) Patrick Mucheleka for alleging that police officers wanted a change of political leadership after next year’s general elections.
. Libongani
Ms Libongani has also cautioned Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) president Edith Nawakwi to refrain from making statements linking the police to politics.
She said in a statement in Lusaka yesterday that police officers individually and collectively were not politicians and could not tolerate people creating an impression that the institution was political.
Ms Libongani said this in reaction to a story attributed to Mr Mucheleka published in yesterday’s edition of The Post newspaper under the headline ‘Police officers, like everyone else, want political leadership change in 2016 – Mucheleka’.
“As Police Command, we would like to correct the wrong impression and unfounded statement reported in today’s Post newspaper edition number 6870 under the Headline ‘Police officers, like everyone else, want political leadership change in 2016 – Mucheleka’.
“I would like to state that police officers individually and collectively as a department are not politicians (and), therefore, will not tolerate people creating an impression that the Zambia Police is political,” Ms Libongani said.
She said the mandate of the police was to ensure the provision of utmost security which was critical at times when the country had elections.
She said the main duties of the police were to save life and protect property in the interest of members of the public.
Ms Libongani said Mr Mucheleka’s statement was an affront to the professional stance of police officers who should remain professional and not to be swayed in political biasness.
“Politicians such as Mr Patrick Mucheleka and Ms Nawakwi should not be making statements linking the police to politics.
“Equally, the Press should desist from reporting unconfirmed reports which could have potential to influence the security of this country negatively,” she said.
