WORST PERFORMING POLICE EQUAL TO WORST PERFORMING COMMANDER – IN – CHIEF (PRESIDENT)- Fred M’membe

WORST PERFORMING POLICE EQUAL TO WORST PERFORMING COMMANDER – IN – CHIEF (PRESIDENT)

The Zambia Police Service has been ranked to be one of the worst performing police in the world.

This is according to the World Internal Security and Police Index, which ranked the Zambia Police Service at 112 out of the total of 127 countries.

We are not surprised by this terrible ranking because under Mr Hakainde Hichilema and his corrupt, tribal and violent administration, we have witnessed the Zambia Police Service at its worst possible period in history. We have seen the UPND’s cheap, dangerous and barbaric way of using the police to spread terror, wanton repression, and heightened human rights violations in the country.

We have also seen how violence and all other forms of political repression and criminality are being committed by UPND cadres led by identifiable individuals some of them Cabinet Ministers and senior part officials under the full protection of the Zambia Police Service.

Well-known UPND cadres have been knifing, assaulting, beating, kidnapping and publicly threatening to “slaughter” opposition political leaders and other critical voices in the name of protecting Mr Hichilema with the police doing nothing about it. Even our numerous complaints and reports to the police have fallen on deaf ears. Whenever a report is made to the police, it’s us, the victims of Mr Hichilema’s cadres’ violence who get locked up and are prosecuted. This is the impunity that the perpetrators of these crimes are enjoying for their crimes with the help and support of the Zambia Police Service.

Therefore, this ranking of the Zambia Police Service as one of the worst performing police in the world doesn’t come as a surprise to us at all. As it perfectly suits the situation we are currently going through as political players and also corroborates with what institutions like the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) have been saying on the need for the Zambia Police Service to “immediately realign to practices with democratic democratic tenets for the benefit of citizens”.

However, we strongly feel that the problem in all this does not lie with the Zambia Police Service. It lies with those who control, direct, and command those who head the police. It lies squarely with Mr Hichilema, the Commander – in – Chief!

All the mischief, confusion, and reckless bravado that is coming from the police high command through the Inspector General Mr. Graphael Musamba is merely conveying Mr Hichilema’s decisions. These are Mr Hichilema’s own decisions. So we should all address these numerous violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms guaranteed and protected by our constitution with Mr Hichilema.

He is the culprit behind all these abuses. He is the principal violator of our human rights and fundamental freedoms and must be held responsible for his actions against the people and the constitution he has sworn to uphold. Mr Hichilema should not be allowed to hide behind the police.

In fact, this poor ranking of the Zambia Police Service directly points to Mr Hichilema’s poor, unaccountable and inexperienced leadership in dealing with national affairs.

It is illogical to think that the Zambia Police Service can be among the worst performing in the world and the Commander- in – Chief, the President remains one of the best performing presidents. How can that be? It’s impossible.

It’s simple, worst performing police equal to worst performing Commander- in – Chief. The buck stops at him and let him own this embarrassment.

Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party