By CHILA NAMAIKO –
HOME Affairs Permanent Secretary Chileshe Mulenga has warned of dismissing police officers in the habit of aligning themselves with politicians to receive favours from a political party perceived to be winning an election when the country goes to the polls.
Dr Mulenga said he was saddened with the growing trend by some officers to lobby for promotions by aligning themselves with politicians each time there was a general election.
He said officers conducting themselves in such behaviour were unprincipled and warned of dismissing them because their action was tarnishing the image of the Zambia Police.
“I want to strongly warn officers in the habit of lobbying for positions to both ruling and opposition politicians especially in the run up to a general election. Once they align themselves with politicians, it compromises their work, but they are supposed to work with the Government of the day,” he said.
Dr Mulenga, accompanied by Zambia Correctional Services Commissioner General Percy Chato, said this yesterday when he appeared before a Parliamentary Committee on National Security and Foreign Affairs.
He informed the committee chaired by acting chairperson Elijah Muchima, who is United Party for National Development (UPND) Ikelenge Member of Parliament (MP) that discipline was cardinal in the security wings and that he would not hesitate to punish those found wanting.
In response to a follow-up from UPND Kaoma MP Morgan Sitwala, who wanted to know what measures the Government was putting in place against indisciplined officers citing alcohol drinking on duty, he said supervisors should be conversant with disciplinary procedures and enforce them effectively.
He said the current Police Act Cap 107 provided adequate procedures to deal with matters of discipline.
He also said the Government was making headway in the construction of housing units for officers under his ministry.
The Government had embarked on the construction of 12,000 housing units for security wings in a phased manner and that, under phase one of the project, 2,350 housing units were being constructed out of which 190 had been completed.
The committee heard that the phase two contract targeting 2,200 housing units had been signed and the ministry would continue to engage its Finance counterpart for improved funding.
He said modern policing required officers that were not only properly trained, but equally equipped with appropriate technology and necessary investigative tools.