South East Region Police Commissioner Chikondi Chingaza on Tuesday said indiscipline among some law enforcers is compromising police perfomance.

Speaking when she opened the Independent Complaints Commission (ICC) Workshop on ICC Mandate and Police Code of Ethics in Blantyre, the commissioner admitted the growing negative public perception and loss of confidence in the Malawi Police Service (MPS).

Chingaza (R): We no longer command
the respect of the past

Chingaza said: “The service is facing a society that is increasingly becoming opposed to police authority because we no longer command the respect of the past.

“Police units, houses and vehicles have been attacked by angry Malawians, in many instances because of our poor conduct and unreasonable decisions.”

She cited recent cases where the police had failed to provide security to the public and military has had to come in to help.

Chingaza further said the workshop would enhance knowledge of law enforcers, who now have a Professional Standards Unit in addition to the Office of Spirituals and the newly-established Anti-Corruption Task Team.

“We, therefore, thank United Nations Development Programme [UNDP] and the United States Government for their support towards strengthening our capacity in contemporary policing through this workshop and assistance in reviewing our Service Standing Orders [SSO], which we anticipate will significantly contribute towards improving our professional service delivery”.

In his remarks, ICC commissioner Christopher Tukula said the commission was established to help in enhancing public confidence in MPS.

“We have a mandate to provide civic education to the Malawian public, emphasizing the importance of reporting any misconduct by members of the MPS.

“The commission ensures that all officers are informed about our mandate so that they understand our obligation to receive and investigate public complaints against police officers and MPS.

“This ensures that when we impose various sanctions, the police officers are fully aware of their responsibilities,” he said.

The ICC, which was operationalised last year, a decade after its formation was approved in Parliament, is mandated to investigate allegations of police misconduct.

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