Our law enforcement officers have broken their social contract with us. Instead of protecting and serving they have become the law breakers and have been involved in recent high profile armed robberies where security guards have been killed.
A police officer who was connected to a K500m bank robbery in Mzuzu was again linked to another armed robbery in Blantyre city and was been re-arrested.
according to media reports Ken Kamwambi was named by a fellow police officer Kondwani Guta as being part of the armed which took place on December 13.
Of late, there has been a rise in the number of serving police officers being involved in criminal activity.
Police authorities have since redeployed all officers who were working at Chilobwe police Unit as the community had threatened to attack the unit following the alleged Guta-crime story.
Police spokesperson for the southern region Nicholas Gondwa confirmed the re-arrest of Kamwambi in connection with an armed robbery.
“His name was mentioned by Kondwani Guta during interrogations. He claimed he was part of the crime group hence he was arrested again,” Gondwa said.
He has since been remanded at Zomba Maximum Security Prison.
Two months ago, Kamwambi was also arrested in connection with a robbery that involved car chases of Standard Bank in Mzuzu where K500 m was stolen in cash.
The matter has yet to be concluded after the thieves were intercepted and most of the money was recovered somewhere in Mzimba near the border with neighboring Zambia.
In most major cities in the west there are internal affairs sections to investigate suspected police corruption or misconduct. This investigative body is created solely to police the police.
Newly promoted Malawi Police Service Inspector General Paul Kanyama has his work cut out for him as he has promised to rid the force of corruption. The process of purging a corrupt police force is not easy and might bring mistrust even from those officers that are deamed to be clean. However it is work that needs to be done If the police need to regain the trust of Malawians.
