By ROGERS KALERO
Police in Chililabombwe must tame violent UPND cadres or else we will be forced to fight back, PF district chairman Frederick Rontos Mwape has said.
Mr Mwape said the PF cadres would be forced to fight back because they were disappointed with the Chililabombwe Police Station Officer-In-Charge Petness Hamazila’s alleged failure to control the UPND cadres.
Ms Mwape was reacting to a recent incident where eight suspected UPND cadres were arrested for attempting to destroy the home and a lodge belonging to PF Chililabombwe parliamentary candidate Richard Musukwa.
Earlier this month, UPND cadres allegedly set on fire the PF campaign chitenge material in Chililabombwe and police launched a manhunt whose outcome was yet to be known. He said the PF cadres were not cowards, but were adhering to the directives given to them not to retaliate.
Mr Mwape however cautioned police officers not to take a partisan stance but treat all parties fairly, especially that this was a campaign period. He said some police officers felt that they were untouchable and had become complacent instead of discharging their duties professionally. Mr Mwape said police officers ought to be proactive during the heightened campaign period instead of reacting when offences had already been committed.
He said one of the duties of a police officer was to detect and prevent crime and hence the obligation by men and women in uniform to act before cadres strike.
