.Kanganja

By CHUSA SICHONE –
INSPECTOR General of Police Kakoma Kanganja says the Zambia Police Service will continue re-training its officers to ensure that they perform according to the public’s expectations.
Mr Kanganja said this was because the public had continued complaining about the conduct of police officers, especially on traffic management and criminal investigations, despite the service having scored successes in maintaining law and order in the country.
Speaking when he officially closed the in-service training courses at Lilayi Police College yesterday where 1, 179 officers graduated, Mr Kanganja said a well-trained, experienced and non-partisan police service was a critical resource to social and economic development.
“Re-training and retention of well-trained, disciplined and dedicated police officers is, therefore, key to the well-being of the nation. I wish to assure all the officers in the Zambia Police Service and the nation that these in-service trainings will continue so that we build capacity and train as many officers as possible to cover all the rank and file in the police service,” he said.
He said in-service training was critical to the rule of law as crime was dynamic and because the service had a responsibility of ensuring that police officers were well-trained in law enforcement, crime prevention and detection, maintenance of public order and the observance of individuals’ rights.
Mr Kanganja said 1, 646 officers from the three Zambia Police training institutions had gone through the in-service programme since it commenced, of which 1,193 were male and 453 were female.
He said the service was starting the commander’s course to run side-by-side with that of junior and middle management as from January 2018 and urged all the officers to take the courses seriously as their progressions would depend both on such trainings and good field performance.
Mr Kanganja said the training programme was conducted at a high cost and thus urged the graduates to be disciplined for them to be of value and an asset to the service and the public, adding that they should be a shining example and serve their “masters” (public) diligently.
Meanwhile, Mr Kanganja said the service had received a fair share of support from the Government like unprecedented infrastructure developments, citing the 72 housing units which Lilayi Police College had benefited and would be ready for occupation within two months.
He said the construction of housing units for the paramilitary was currently ongoing, which was in addition to the other housing units and police stations currently under construction countrywide.
Lilayi   Police College commanding officer Jestus Nsokolo said the in-service training involved course for senior management, middle management, junior management as well as in advanced and basic criminal investigations, basic traffic management, motor vehicle driving and motor bike riding.
Mr Nsokolo said the training the officers had undergone covered a wide range of subjects aimed at keeping them abreast with new crime trends like cybercrime, gender-based violence, anti-human trafficking and anti-counter terrorism, among others.
He said some officers were not issued with certificates because they did not acquire the required skills during training and were expected to re-do the courses in the near future.