By REBECCA MUSHOTA –
THE Luapula Police Command has appealed to chiefs and their subjects to stop accusing people of practising witchcraft and assaulting suspected wizards because the vice was affecting the investment climate in the province.
Luapula Province Commissioner of Police, Malcolm Mulenga said that last week, he and other police officials visited three villages in Kawambwa and appealed to the chiefs and their subjects to refrain from accusing people of practising witchcraft and assaulting those they suspected to be witches and wizards..
“The increasing murder cases arising from people being accused of being wizards or practising witchcraft ultimately affects development in the area.
“Some of the local people are not willing to invest in the province because they are scared of being murdered or their investment being destroyed on mere suspicion by some jealous members of the community that they are using witchcraft to prosper,” Mr Mulenga said.
He said on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, members of his command and the community visited Chief Mukanta and held two meetings for  his subjects at which over 700 people attended.
On Wednesday, the team paid courtesy calls on chiefs, Mushota and Chama.
Three meetings were also held in the chiefdoms of the two chiefs for village headmen and residents at which over 500 people attended.
Mr Mulenga said among other topics discussed were defilement, rape, spouse battery, incest and property grabbing.
Others were early marriages, child neglect, illegal abortion and human trafficking.
He said there was need for police and the community to partner to effectively maintain law and order.
He said members of the public should therefore, report all matters, especially those to do with Gender Based Violence.
Mr Mulenga said in all the chiefdoms visited, the chiefs expressed gratitude for the sensitisation programme.
The chiefs however, asked for more police officers in their areas and provision of accommodation for the police officers that were in the chiefdoms.
Mr Mulenga said members of the community also raised concerns over the poor work ethic by some police officers. He said he would address all the matters raised.