Councillor wants curfewon to curb ritual killings

MATERO’s Paradise Compound and surrounding areas which have become infamous following brutal ritual killings need a curfew to curb these heinous crimes.

Patriotic Front Kapwepwe 25 councillor, Mwamba Salubusa expressed dismay that the ward had been hit by escalating crime which he said was synonymous with George Compound.

Mr Salubusa described criminal elements in Paradise Compound as worrisome as they brought about fear and unrest among the community. He said due to the nature of the crimes happening in the ward, he had started lobbying for a curfew to reduce the levels of crime and excessive drinking which would compel residents to be indoors by 18:00 hours.

“I am going to push for a curfew in line the local council by law and the enacted Statutory instrument of 2018 of the local government Act and am already talking to the officer-in-charge of Matero Police Station to enforce a curfew,” he said. He said that from March 1 this year, any person found loitering and drunk in the early morning before 06:00hrs would be apprehended and booked for gross misbehaviour.

Mr Salubusa wondered how some residents always got drunk every morning when they had no means of income. He said such people should be interrogated to establish where they got money from as they could be suspected to be part of the ritual killings.

And residents in the ward have welcomed the decision by their councillor, saying that the move would not only curb crime but will also help to reduce the illicit behaviour of youths such as smoking cannabis.

Mr Mathews Askuku said that a curfew was the best way to reduce the crime rate and the illicit behaviour.

“These youths are a major problem, they are too lazy and all they do is drinking and smoking, and after they are done they move about to cause havoc in the community,” he said.

Mr Salubusa added that the ward was earmarked for the construction of a crime prevention and cabbage collection centre, and which was going to house more police to help in patrolling and crime prevention, especially in Paradise and George compounds through, the ward development funds (WDF).

He also explained that the Know Your Neighbor (KYN) campaign that was launched on February 2 2018, would help the residents to know each other and prevent crime.