Mon, 05 Feb 2018 14:46:56 +0000
By CECILIA MUBAMBE
AFTER two years of coping without a police post, several residents of Lusaka’s Zingalume compound have appealed to government to consider reopening Mwembeshi police post.
On March 2016, angry residents burnt to ashes Mwembeshi police post in a riot after some police officers apprehended some suspected ritual killers but word spread like a bush fire that the suspects were the ones behind the killing of four men in the area who were found without their private parts and ears.
The residents quickly mobilized themselves and stormed the police post demanding the release of the suspects and for them to be handed over to the residents for instant justice on suspicion of ritual killings.
Speaking on condition of anonymity the residents told the Daily Nation in separate interviews at the weekend that the absence of a Police post in the area had compromised security which had caused high levels of crime in the area.
“We are fearing for our lives because we are being attacked, and we are therefore calling upon the Home Affairs Minister to help us because it seems nothing is going to be done anytime soon,” they said
And Police spokesperson Esther Katongo said it was up to members of the public to come together and build the Police post.
“We will continue patrolling but what is needed is for us to have permanent presence in the area, if at all the Police post was gutted that is a community property and police posts are built by communities themselves,” she said.
