POLICE MOTORISED ESCORTS: WHO IS ENTITLED?
IN 2008, a debate ensued whether a minister or a private citizens could be accorded a motorised police escort outside the President and the Vice-president of the Republic of Zambia.
This was after media reports that some ministers had been using motorised police escorts emerged and sparked a public e debate in 2008
History seems it is cheeky in repeating itself and 14 years later, the debate has repeated itself now on a private citizen.
The then Chief Government spokesperson late Kennedy Sakeni guided as follows:
The people entitled to motorised police escorts are the President and Vice President and [foreign signatories]
All ministers are not entitled and this can be traced from the independence days to date but it sometimes happens especially for the Defence and Home Affairs ministers when need arises*
That motorised escorts are only exclusive to the Republican President and Vice-President, while ministers can access the privilege in some circumstances when ministers sometimes request for escorts, in view of their tight schedules. That any minister can ask and police can help to rush them through traffic.
A motorised escort is a convoy of motor vehicles carrying very important persons and security personnel
That It was normal once in a while for a minister to be escorted but not on a permanent basis. It is simply an administrative matter and it should not be connected to anything.
However, the people entitled to motorised escorts are the President and Vice President, but it sometimes happens especially for the Defence and Home Affairs ministers when need arises.
That any minister can however also make arrangements for motorised escort, with the Inspector General of Police depending on the urgency of the trip.
That motorised escorts also apply to ordinary citizens during funeral processions.
Motorised escorts happens at the discretion of the Inspector General of Police and depending on the urgency of the matter, just like in some cases of funerals.
With this guidance, we can not dissect this public debate whether the motorised escort accorded the private individual recently was in order or not going by the rules of the game.
I submit
McDonald Chipenzi