Stop it, police warn
A JOINT security operation team in Lusaka yesterday arrested 27 people for conduct likely to cause the breach of peace and recovered 22 various offensive weapons as police issued a stern warning against lawlessness including mounting of illegal road blocks.
Police spokesperson Esther Katongo said the 27 were cornered in Mtendere in the early hours of yesterday.
Ms. Katongo said after screening, those linked to the offensive weapons were likely to be charged with possession of offensive weapons.
“27 people were arrested in the early hours of today (yesterday) by a joint operation team in Mtendere Compound for conduct likely to cause the breach of peace. 22 various offensive weapons were recovered from them.
“All those who would want to conduct patrols in their communities should do so in liaison with police in their respective areas. All those that will be found moving round communities on pretext of conducting patrols without police blessings will be dealt with accordingly,” Ms. Katongo said.
She said this was an act of pure criminality where some criminals would want to take advantage of the prevailing situation to attack unsuspecting members of the public and steal from them.
And Ms. Katongo has warned that police will not take it kindly on those mounting illegal road blocks and searching motorists for chemicals used by those gassing homes as some dissidents are hiding in such activities to conduct heinous crimes.
She said the country experienced an emerging tendency where members of the public were blocking public roads and searching motor vehicles on suspicion that they could be carrying chemical substances being used in suspected chemical spraying cases currently being experienced in some parts of the country.
She cited the incident which occurred between Manayinga and Mufumbwe where a mob blocked the road using logs and stones and stopped motor vehicles among them, a Power Tools Bus and demanded that they conduct a search on the bus.
She said upon searching the bus, they found a first aid kit which contained pain killers, bandages, methylated spirit, gloves and a small axe as per road traffic regulations but the mob became suspicious after seeing an axe.
She also said a similar situation was experienced in Kafue on Sunday between 18:00 and 20:00 which also spilled over to yesterday around 06:00 hours where a mob blocked the road between Kafue Gorge turn off and Shamikobo area, stopping and searching motor vehicles and caused damage to five motor vehicles.
She said police arrested eight people for riotous behaviour and were currently detained in police custody.
“We are therefore warning all those who have adopted this tendency or those contemplating the same that as police we will not take this criminality lightly. We urge members of the public to desist from this criminal acts and avoid involving themselves in duties which are not within their mandate.
“Meanwhile, investigations have been launched in a report of Malicious Administering of Chemical substance which was reported at Arthur Wina School in a grade nine class. This happened between 12:00 hours and 12:30 hours today (yesterday),” she said.
Meanwhile, Ms. Katongo said in Northern Province’s Nseluka area, there was a report of mob justice in which members of the public killed an unidentified male person who they later dressed in a combat police uniform which was found in the victim’s motor vehicle.
She said this was after members of the public suspected the man who was in the area in the company of his colleague to be behind chemical spraying in the area.
She said upon interrogations, the friend to the victim ran away before the mob searched the victim’s motor vehicle and found a pair of police combat uniform which they dressed him after killing him and later set the victim’s motor vehicle on fire.
She also said in Chongwe, police yesterday received a report of riotous behavior which was sparked after word went round that police had detained some suspects behind chemical spraying in the area.
“They then went to the police station in the area demanding the release of the said suspects with a view of killing them. The mob later went to the streets where they staged riots,” she said.