LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-On Wednesday, December 6, 2023, female police officers from all 47 policing stations across the country marched off the ground on a high note after apprehending 132 suspects in an intensive three-day operation called Basadi.
At the national level, the operation was led by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Jessie Nyirongo who is also Malawi Police Service’s Women Network National Chairperson and Deputy Director of the Criminal Investigation Department.
The female police officers arrested perpetrators of sexual offences and other offenses through intelligence-led raids, patrols and roadblocks that they erected across the country. They also raised awareness of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and donated items to the vulnerable.
The National Police Headquarters team, led by Monica Katemba Msongole (Deputy Commissioner of Police) visited Kachere Prison where they donated assorted items. They proceeded to Malingunde School for the Blind where they also donated two goats, 1 bale of sugar, salt and cooking oil.
Among other successes of the operation are that on December 5, 2023, officers from Soche Police Station arrested Darlington Kulumbasi, 22, and Laston Theu, 29, for raping a 20-year-old woman at Stella Maris Forest Reserve. In Mponela, female officers netted Chikumbutso Chisowa, 26, at Nkhwema Trading Centre for illegal possession of a firearm.
In Rumphi, women in uniform arrested a 31-year-old Naomi Ngwira for having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old boy, while female cops from the South West Region apprehended Isaac Rabson, 34, who mercilessly assaulted his pregnant wife.
On the same day, Liwonde female cops arrested five suspected robbers, including a woman, intercepted at Liwonde Roadblock in a white saloon motor vehicle with registration ZA3836. The Kasungu team arrested eight Ethiopian nationals for illegal entry, while female officers in Balaka, Zomba, and Nkhata-Bay arrested suspects for having sexual intercourse with a minor.
Teams from Mangochi, Dedza, Monkeybay, Mchinji, Chiradzulu, Chikwawa, Jenda, Chileka, Namizana border, Ntcheu, Mzimba, Blantyre, Mulanje, Lumbadzi, Machinga and Mwanza stormed various community radios and schools to spread messages against GBV.
Mrs. Rhoda Manjolo (Commissioner of Police for Central East Region) led her team and sensitized business communities at Juma Market on the same day.
Female cops from Lilongwe donated assorted items, including laundry soap, plastic plates, and cups at Bwaila District Hospital Maternity Ward, while Limbe cheered up pregnant women at Limbe Health Centre.
Assistant Superintendent Martha Malanda led the team in the Central West Region while Superintendent Liness Kamanga led the team in the Central East Region. Superintendent Rebecca Ndirande took charge in South West Region while Senior Superintendent Florida Dzimbiri led the team in South East Region. The Northern and Eastern Region teams were led by Assistant Superintendent Gift Madziataika and Josephine Chigalu respectively.
“Basadi,” which means ‘women’ in Sotho and Tswana languages, is an operation by female police officers across countries in the SADC region. It focuses on combating priority crimes, particularly against women and children, such as defilement, rape, assault, human trafficking, domestic violence, and child labor, among others.
The main purpose of the operation is to display the active role female police officers play in law enforcement.
The SADC region operation was established in 2013 under the theme: “We are on it, Gender-Based Violence must stop.”
Basadi operation takes place twice annually, and every female police officer in the SADC region is expected to participate.