Minister cautions IG

…to follow procedure on policy implementation

INSPECTOR General of police Kakoma Kanganja and his command should follow the rules and procedures on how to engage in initiatives such as neighborhood watch, police reserve and other community crime prevention initiatives, Home Affairs minister Stephen Kampyongo has cautioned.

Mr Kampyongo explained it was not the role of Government to politically interfere in the day to day operations of the Zambia Police Service as a professional entity, but to provide policy guidance and advise in serving the public better.

He however said Mr Kanganja was within his mandate to rescind his earlier decision of recruiting eight Chinese nationals as police reserve after making wider consultation and it should be viewed as strength in acknowledging an oversight.

“There will be times when we are all prone to error and behind these uniforms they are all humans just like you and I. So you should expect that there will be mistakes but what is key is to quickly remedy such mistakes and that is why we have the hierarchy,” the minister said.

Meanwhile, Mr Kampyongo said the Zambia Police Direct Deposit (DDS) System will curb corruption and theft by public servants and it will enhance non -tax revenue.

Mr Kampyongo said DDS is expected to end public suspicions that police officers who collects levies and fines do so for their own pockets rather than for the state.

Speaking during the launch of the Zambia police service Direct Deposit System in Lusaka yesterday at Chelstone Police station, Mr Kampyongo said he was expecting that the DDS would enhance accountability and transparency in the handling of the non-tax revenue collected by the Zambia police service as well as enhance public confidence.

Mr Kampyongo said the DDS was also a response to a number of Government programmes such as home grown Economic Stabilisation and Growth Programme Zambia Plus and also to increase revenue collection by speeding up the availability of the collected non-tax revenue to the treasury.

He said the programme was part and parcel of an on-going modernization programme of the Zambia Police Service.

He is confident that the programme shall improve accountability and transparency in handing of public revenues collected by the Zambia police service.

And Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja said the system will help heighten accountability and transparency as well as minimizing reports of corruption against officers because there will be no contact between officers and money.

Mr Kanganja said by depositing the money directly into bank accounts the ministry of Finance will equally have quick access to the much needed revenue unlike the current situation where money was being kept by officers and deposited after a week or even beyond.

He said it was a pilot project and it has since been rolled out in Kafue, Chilanga and in Lusaka’s Chirundu, Chelstone, Woodlands Chawama, Kanyama and Kabwata areas.

Mr Kanganja said each police station where the project was being implemented was connected to the banks which include INDO Zambia Bank, Zambia National Commercial Bank and Investrust Banks and other banks will be brought on board at an appropriate time.

He appealed to the members of the general public to support the project by cooperating with Zambia police service.