Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba wrote;
Youth gunned down over fertiliser in Kasama
A UPND youth activist and member of the UPND in Kasama was gunned down in unclear circumstances.
The Police in Kasama were persuing a complaint where UPND youths are alleged to have confiscated fertiliser bags from small-holder farmers.
Mukuka was shot in an area called Location.
UPND in Kasama have already reported the suspected police officer who fired the fatal shot and want him charged for murder.even before circumstances of the shooting are established.
We hope that the Zambia Police can quickly issue a statement to clarify the sad circumstances like they are quick to issue statements of overspeeding before they even visit the accident scene and examine the wreckage.
I’ve always stated that the Zambia Police is now highly militarised and the site of military rifles in public such as AK.47(a deadly assault rifke officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova) is commonplace and traumatizing. Even police batons seem to have been abandoned in preference for the dangerous AK 47.
Political activist are routinely treated and controlled by police officers carrying dangerous military assault rifles, donning camouflage masks and travelling in military armoured vehicles.
The police have abandoned police patrols that act as preventive against crime, have abandoned regular public awareness programs and have instead resorted to hard methods.
The Zambia Police need to revert to civil methods of policing public order, crowd control and must rarely act or use bullets as the first choice or first resort. Such methods must only be used in cases of pursuing armed or suspected dangerous suspects, violent crimes and similar capital offences.
We hope that in their brief, the Zambia Police will disclose details of the missing fertiliser allegedly confiscated by UPND youths and the suspects they are pursuing, as well as tell us about sad circumstances that led to the shooting and fatally injuring Mukuka.
Ba Mwamba, the militarisarion of the police occurred during PF rule. Towards the end of PF reign, police were seen with what looked like Israeli UZI sub machine guns, something I had never seen before. The AK47 Mr. Mwamba is referring to has been a staple of the police from the UNIP days.
How many people lost their lives because of the Police Force (PF) during Mr. Lungu’s rule? Mr. Mwamba should learn to tone down instead of exaggerating.