Police road blocks choke Lusaka

LUSAKA has become choked with police officers setting up road blocks throughout the city at peak hours in a bid to maxmise their collection of illegal fines from desperate motorists Commuter Rights Association of Zambia (CRAZ) president Aaron Kamuti has charged.

Mr Kamuti charged that traffic police are taking advantage of motorists by mounting unnecessary roadblocks in order to extort money from them.

And Mr Kamuti wondered why the city was still flooded with roadblocks when the minister of Home Affairs, Stephen Kampyongo had assured that there would be a reduction following the revocation of a threatened state of emergency.

He told the Daily Nation that the traffic police in Lusaka was marred by corruption as they were busy extorting money from motorists with unnecessary roadblocks.

Mr Kamuti also cited incompetence from the Zambia Police Service leadership for failing to control the escalating misuse of traffic control systems to get money from desperate motorists. He explained that traffic offices were even mounting roadblocks on congested roads during pick hours without regard.

Mr Kamuti charged that Lusaka was chocked because traffic police were taking advantage of motorists by mounting unnecessary roadblocks with a view to corruptly enrich themselves.

“In the midst of the congestion in Lusaka, traffic police officers are mounting road blocks anyhow. Almost on every road now you find a road block and the officers are just getting bribes from motorists. They are extorting money from motorist,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Kamuti wondered why traffic officers had continued to mount unnecessary roadblocks despite a command from the minister responsible for the trend to come to an end.