Why do police lock up people just before weekends?

January 8, 2013 | Filed under: Breaking News | Posted by:

Dear Editor,

The locking up of former deputy minister Elijah Muchima in Mwilunga cells last Friday and that of Nevers Mumba a few weeks ago so that they spend their weekend in police cells brings to the fore the much hidden police bad habit locking up people to settle political and personal scores.

This habit sees the police to throw people in police cells a few hours before a weekend or a few hours before a long weekend, just to make them spend some time in police cells.

What is surprising that these police officers are quick to throw people in police cells and release them the following Monday with no regard whatsoever to the inconvenience of locking people for no reason. The same police officers have no one to task them why certain people are locked up over the weekend only to be released the following Monday. Another surprising thing is that when a person has been locked up over the weekend, the police service goes on weekend or holiday leaving people to languish in their more often inhuman cells. Why should police bonds be not issued on weekends when police stations operate 24 hours?

Can the Police Public Complaints Committee, the Ministry of Home Affairs or Human Rights Commission look into this?

This abuse of office if left unchecked will make us citizens lose the little trust and faith we have in the professionalism of the Zambia Police.

Mthoniswa Banda

Comments Closed

29 Responses to Why do police lock up people just before weekends?

  1. Sata was a constable in the colonial era. Do you know what he did to his fellow men? How do you expect a saddist to be humane?

    The Observer - January 9, 2013
    22:02

  2. Very corrupt officers more especially Makwelele and his CIO Mulenga of emmasdale police station
    Madam pls change these officers before the situation gets worse

    Boko Haram - January 8, 2013
    17:31

  3. You will reap what you sow. Those police officers allowing to be used as PF lapdogs will reap what they are sowing. Remember God is sovereign he rules in heaven and on earth. Lesa nimalyotola

    Ulemu ni Wabwino - January 8, 2013
    17:30

  4. Locking up people just before the weekend is one of the cherished Zambia Police sadistic practice,maybe it is in the Lilayi syllabus!

    Citizen - January 8, 2013
    16:00

  5. sadly Mr Mthoniswa Banda the law allows that the police detain anyone for a maximum of 48hrs without any charge/reason. Ya I know, it’s a shitty law

    The 3ye - January 8, 2013
    15:55

  6. Well, they locked Sata several times also.

    Mwana wa Chuundu - January 8, 2013
    15:41

    • Two wrongs don’t make a right. e.g., the great statesman Nelson Mandela didn’t lock up the whites who kept him behind the bars for 27 years.

      Mulaso Zulu - January 8, 2013
      17:10

  7. IWE BUCHO MMD DID NOT TRAIN POLICE MEN THEY TRAIN THEM SELVES SO THEY JUST INHABIT THERE OWN BAD HABITS ACCORDING TO THE TRAINING THEY GET EVEN IN THE CURRENT REGIME IT WILL EVEN BE WORSE COZ THEY WILL BE TOLD TO ARREST POLITICIANS WITHOUT ANY REASON AND BUGGERS WILL DO JUST THAT FORGETING THEIR ETHICS

    DIASPORA - January 8, 2013
    14:57

  8. i am not surprised at all, i warned my excited family and friends not to vote for this man Sata but they were too carried away with an illusion of a man of action when in real sense the man is so weak he can’t even control his emotions hence bursting into tantrums at public occasions and swearing in ceremonies. This man is not fit for public office his very unstable look at how his betrayed his friend lubinda, look at how his u turned on all campaign promises for example the fight against corruption and the public order act the list is endless. one word says it all all opf us who support this man for reasons best known to yourselves you ought to be human and feel guilty at some point.

    concernedcitizen - January 8, 2013
    14:17

    • Well! Yes he is a man of action. What they will not tell you though is which actions?. Bad or good. I guess it is the bad ones almost 90%.

      Lulu - January 8, 2013
      17:01

  9. i didn’t see kabimba been arrested amidst allegations of corruptions. what a sham of a country with all arms of government hiding under the pretext of democracy when in the actual fact we are under a dictatorship.

    concernedcitizen - January 8, 2013
    14:09

    • ….PAMUSHI PALUBABO, KULOLESHYAFYE!

      Zambitious - January 8, 2013
      15:15

  10. Iwe Kamwendo Munjira every person is a potential prisoner.Some go to prison not because they committed some crime ,but because someone smeared some lie on them and threw them in prison for crimes they never committed.So don’t say that you can only find yourself in police cells after committing a crime.Some innocent people are locked up in police cells on trumped up cases.Watch out police officers can sometimes abuse their offices that way.That is why kaponyas call them ba zabwino palibe (ZP)).So whether you commit a crime or not,you a potential criminal.Umulamdu mume.I rest my case.

    The Eyes of an Eagle up in the sky. - January 8, 2013
    13:39

  11. abusing power and authority with impunity

    ine wine - January 8, 2013
    13:11

  12. the only remedy is not to commit a crime

    KAMWENDO MUNJIRA - January 8, 2013
    12:53

    • there are real crimes and PF engineered crimes so which one are you talking about?

      concernedcitizen - January 8, 2013
      14:07

  13. its not fair at all..

    CNP-4U - January 8, 2013
    12:10

  14. I thnk it was ok for Muchima. The boy shudv bn there at least for a week. The chap squandered cash. We hv since changed hs name 4rm Muchima to ikombi.

    Mutombu Kabunji - January 8, 2013
    11:28

    • Allow Muchima to excul[pate himself through the court. Why are you making baseless conclusions?

      Bob - January 8, 2013
      12:05

  15. My advice is that if Police ask you to report to their office on a Friday to help with investigations,find a way of not reporting.Be there first thing on Monday or the next working day.Tell them you are out of town.They will understand your predicament.

    Dank - January 8, 2013
    10:36

  16. ITS FINE, KAILI THEY ARE XERCISING WAT THY WERE TRAINED TO DO BY ZE MMD. WHY DO U WNT ZEM TO CHANGE PAMENE APA? THE PATRIOTIC FRONT HAV NOT RECRUITED ANY YET. WAIT TILL ZE PF RECRUITS COME

    Bucho - January 8, 2013
    09:36

  17. Alert! Like Jews and Palestine, ruling parties in Zambia do no learn! Police seem to enjoying politicians own destruction. We know that in a democracy, no party can holder to power for ever.

    eni - January 8, 2013
    09:18

  18. Well said and I shall command my minister and my I.g of police to look in to this and to make sure this should be balanced by issuing bonds on any day at any given time .
    Thank you for letting me serve you better
    Your president
    M . C . SATA

    mr president - January 8, 2013
    09:16

  19. Nonsense, police will lock u up as and when required regardless of the day, whether on your birthday,bereavement in your family, birth of your first born , independence day etc

    papaya - January 8, 2013
    09:15

  20. ask fred mumembe

    stakeholder - January 8, 2013
    09:14

  21. especially with the PF Police,paying the price for voting them into power.

    CHIPS2016HH - January 8, 2013
    09:14

  22. You are right.

    Tateyoyo - January 8, 2013
    09:13

  23. True this has to cnange.

    dwi dwi - January 8, 2013
    09:13

    • AS ZANBIANS WE HAVE BEEN REBASED BY THIS PAYA FARMER PARTY.WE ARE STILL BEING REBASED,ITS A TOUGH JOURNEY TO 2016,I WONDER HOW MANY ARESTS AND SWEARING IN CEREMONIES WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO 2016.ESPECIALLY WITH THAT MAPPET OF A ZAMBIAN WINTER KABOLO

      clarky - January 8, 2013
      17:45