Malawi Police Admits to have Lost Public Trust

Malawi Police Service Director of Research and Planning, George Kainja, on Monday admitted loss of public trust in the service due to perceived bias in the enforcement of the law.

However, Kainja was quick to emphasise that the police are working towards regaining the trust by employing various mechanisms, including strengthening their working relationship with community policing structures.

Kainja was speaking in Mponela on the sidelines of a three-day refresher workshop on community policing.

The workshop was organised by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) to equip Senior Deputy Co mmissioners, Deputy Commissioners and Officers-in-Charge across the country.

“We are aware that the trust between us and the public is down. But as a Malawi Police Service, we are not just sitting idle. In the first place, we recognise that if you look at what is happening on the ground, our trust is going down. But this meeting with the Officers-in-Charge will help us to sit down and see how best we can strategise so that the lost trust can be regained,” Kainja said.

Commenting to the it objectives, Kainja stated that the workshop will enable the senior police officers gain new skills on how to address sexual and gender-based violence in the country.

Unicef Child Protection Specialist, Janet Liabunya, said although the public has lost trust in the police, her organisation still appreciates the work the law enforcers are doing to tackle sexual and gender-based violence in the country.

“The efforts that we are putting together with the police are long-term. And we need to work on a systemic approach…systems and culture. So, in a way, we see the benefits of the investments we have put in the police towards ending sexual and gender-based violence,” Liabunya said.

The police in the country has faced resentment from some sections of the society and has been accused of bias.

The most recent example of the animosity was the brutal killing of a police officer Usumani Imedi at Msundwe in Lilongwe last week.

Credit: Times Online