'PUNISH INCOMPETENT POLICE OFFICERS'

Tue, 29 Aug 2017 14:10:13 +0000

By Simon Muntemba

PUNITIVE action against incompetent police officers who are embarrassing the government with their poor investigations in matters that are brought to court must be taken, the New Congress Party (NCP) has demanded.

NCP president, Peter Chanda said the rate at which criminal cases were lost due to poor investigations was worrying, adding that there was urgent need for the power that-be to weed out incompetent police officers.

Pastor Chanda charged that the high levels of incompetence among arresting police officers in their investigations could be a deliberate ploy to sabotage or embarrass the government.

He said that it was for this reason that he was calling for a firm and decisive action against incompetent police officers if sanity was to be restored in the Zambia Police Service.

“These incompetent police officers who seem to be deliberately trying to embarrass the government with their poor investigations in a number of criminal cases that are brought to court must be probed and punished.

“We appeal to the relevant authorities to either fire or demote them for their incompetence which is embarrassing the government,” Pastor Chanda said.

The NCP leader reiterated that police officers should conduct thorough investigations before arresting and taking the matter to courts.

He noted that in the recent past, police have arrested and taken some offenders to court in which some accused have been either acquitted by the court or the DPP had to enter a nolle prosequi due to incompetency and insufficient evidence presented by the arresting police officers.

Pastor Chanda said the police officers that were incompetent in carrying out investigations on suspects that were arrested and brought to court must be held responsible for their incompetence as they were embarrassing the state.

He however, suggested that the police officers should undergo refresher courses to avoid further embarrassment.