By MUNAMBEZA MUWANEI –

ZAMBIA Police traffic officers are charged with the responsibility of maintaining law and order on the country’s roads.
Traffic Police officers are supposed to ensure that only roadworthy vehicles are on roads and have the required licences.
Other responsibilities include to foresee that the motorists have the required driving licences for them to move on the road and observe the required speed limit of a particular area and many other road regulations.
These are among some of the responsibilities that the Traffic Police officers with the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) are tasked with.
Despite having such a huge responsibility, the Traffic Police officers are now being perceived as being corrupt because of the manner some officers conduct themselves.
A number of motorists who do not meet the required road regulations have ended up paying traffic Police officers for them to escape the stipulated fines.
Some motorists do not even demand for receipts as a result escape paying the stipulated fine.
The 2014 Zambia Bribe Payers Index (ZBPI) rated the Zambia Police traffic section as the most corrupt while the Road Transport and Safety Agency was ranked second.
The ZBPI survey was jointly conducted by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and Transparency International Zambia (TIZ).
The bribe demand was said to have increased to 6.7 per cent from 4.7 per cent in 2012.
TIZ launched the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for Zambia and was also launched in 120 other countries last year.
However, a cross section of motorists has appealed to the Government to reduce the new fines because they were too high and would also increase bribery cases on the roads.
Some motorists talked to said that they would still find it easier to give Police officers a K100 which they normally demand for traffic offences than paying the required new fines.
Matthews Bwalya says the charges should be reduced so that all bus operators and motorists should afford to pay and demand receipts.
“The Government should get a lot of money from these traffic offences but the problem is that money ends up in the pockets of a few corrupt Traffic Police officers and that the best is to lower the fees to enable every motorist to easily pay and demand for a receipt,” he says.
Fines for traffic offences were last month increased according to Statutory Instrument (SI) number 41 of July 2015 of the Fees and Fines Act and the value of the penalty units has increased from 20 Ngwee to 30 ngwee.
Martin Silengo, who spoke on behalf of other bus operators in Ndola, said the Zambia Police should have engaged them before coming up with new fees.
Mr Silengo says the bus drivers’ cashing is K200 and to have a fine more than their daily cashing was too much and that he would rather pay a Police officer the bribe.
He says Zambia Police should have consulted them before the revision of the fees because they were also an important stakeholder.
Mr Silengo says the bus drivers were not able to afford paying new fees because they were expensive.
But TIZ executive director Goodwell Lungu says his organisation has come up with service charters for the Zambia Police and RTSA which would deter Traffic Police officers and RTSA staff from engaging in corruption.
Mr Lungu says service charters have been submitted to Zambia Police and RTSA and are being verified.
After the verification, TIZ will embark on sensitisation programmes at the Zambia Police and RTSA offices in the countrywide.
He urged the motorists to comply with the new revised charges.
“With the view of high levels of accidents and criminal activities, the law has been stiffened and that the best was to comply with the law,” he said.
But Chief Government spokesperson Chishimba Kambwili said the new fines for traffic offences issued last month by Zambia Police will be reviewed by Cabinet following an outcry from motorists.
Mr Kambwili, who is also acting Transport, Works, Supply and Communications Minister, said the Government has heard the public outcry over the revised fees.
He assured the bus and taxi drivers that the new fees would be reviewed to uphold the interest of the people.
The Zambia Police has since launched the code of ethics which outlines broad principles and behavioural standards which calls for high level of ethical conduct of every Police officer.
Inspector General of Police Stella Libongani said the aim of the new code of ethics was to enhance institutional performance and excellence.
She urged Police officers to observe the new code of ethics to improve their operations.
During the launch of Zambia Police code of ethics in Lusaka, acting Secretary to the Cabinet Peter Kasanda said the new set of ethics will be applied alongside other existing public service management policies, procedures, guidelines, administrative circulars and instruction issued from his office.
He said each Police officer in accepting public service appointment accepts personal responsibility of developing and exhibiting positive ethics.
Having been tasked with such responsibilities it is prudent that traffic Police officers stick to their roles.