Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000
By BENNIE MUNDANDO
IRATE mourners on Monday dumped a coffin at Kasama police station to protest against a police officer who had impounded one of the vehicles in the funeral procession.
However, Northern Province commissioner of police Richard Mweene has explained that the vehicle in question was not part of the funeral procession and was impounded for overloading but has apologised to the family of the deceased and other mourners for the misunderstanding with his officers.
Trouble started when traffic police officers impounded one of the vehicles at the traffic lights in Kasama town during a funeral procession for alleged overloading and grabbed the keys from the driver, leaving the mourners stranded.
The stand-off between the officers and mourners deepened when the officers allegedly refused to hand over the keys to the driver, demanding K600 penalty fee before they could proceed.
After other mourners were alerted that one of the vehicles on the convoy was impounded, they protested, accusing the traffic officers of discharging their duties in an unprofessional manner.
The incensed mourners disembarked from their vehicles, picked up the coffin, and headed for the police station to hand over the body to the police officers to bury but quick intervention by the senior command prevented the situation from worsening after they ordered that the vehicle be released.
“It is too much of these traffic officers who have been mounting a roadblock at the traffic lights every single day from about 05:00 hrs to 18:00 hrs. Where have you ever heard traffic officers impounding a vehicle in a funeral procession and demanding K600?
“The family is already constrained by funeral expenses yet these police officers want them to spend more,” one of the mourners told the Daily Nation through a telephone interview yesterday.
And Mr. Mweene apologised on behalf of the traffic officers for the fracas, saying the officers should have released the vehicle without delay but thanked the bereaved family and members of the general public for the “patience and maturity” they exhibited during the misunderstanding.
“We wish to state here that the vehicle impounded was not carrying the coffin and was not in the funeral procession. Members of the public approached the police command where the matter was resolved.
The police however unreservedly apologise for the misunderstanding and the delay in the release of the said vehicle.
“The officers should have taken the action of releasing the motor vehicle without delay. We also wish to thank members of the public and those of the bereaved family in particular for the patience and maturity they exhibited,” Mr Mweene said.
