Malawi News

Police beef up security

Police beef up security

By Emmanuel Chilemba:

The Malawi Police Service (MPS) has committed to ensuring that people have a safe Christmas and New Year festive season.

“To do that, we have rolled out a strategy aimed at reducing cases of crime, road accidents, deaths as well as injuries from natural disasters. As such, we have increased the number of patrol officers in both rural and urban areas including in crime-prone-areas.

Peter Kalaya

“We have also deployed more traffic police officers to all public roads, who are managing traffic flows and enforcing provisions of the Road Traffic Act. The third strategy is the general public’s vigilance in reporting suspected criminals to the authorities,” MPS spokesperson Peter Kalaya said.

“The service thus cautions motorists against [committing] drink and drive [offences]. It also urges all to exercise caution when drinking or crossing flooded rivers to avoid drowning,” Kalaya said.

Meanwhile, with less than two days to go before the climax of the festive season, some consumers in the country have lamented that the hype surrounding this year’s celebrations is losing its grip owing to the current high cost of living.

For instance, Madalitso Sulani, a Blantyre-based laundry business operator, observed that the traditional gestures of generosity, such as inviting and hosting family and friends, had become unaffordable luxuries for many households.

In a related development, Consumers Association of Malawi Executive Director John Kapito has warned consumers against spending “unnecessarily” during the festive season.