24 August 2006
HOME Affairs Permanent Secretary Peter Mumba has urged police officers to declare war on criminals.
Mr Mumba's statement follows the shooting of a Livingstone police officer by a bandit in Kazungula district a few days ago and other suspected murders in Kabwe and Ndola where a number of people have been killed.
The Livingstone police officer was shot dead on Monday by a suspect he had gone to apprehend in Kazungula district.
The officer had gone to pick up the suspect who was due to appear in court for defilement when a struggle ensued, resulting in the death of the policeman.
Mr Mumba expressed condolences to the family of the officer and urged the police officers to retaliate against the bandits.
The police in Zambia had suffered enough at the hands of bandits and it was now time for them to rise and retaliate.
"Enough is enough, police have suffered a lot at the hands of criminals. I now call upon the police not to treat the guns they have as bunches of roses one receives on Valentines Day or any other special day but to use them and let the bandits pay the price," he said.
He said police should professionally use the guns to fight and reduce crime.
Mr Mumba called on members of the public to identify houses that had been turned into semi-military bases and assist deal with crime.
In Ndola, police are pursuing two house servants believed to be the prime suspects in the brutal murder of a widow.
Copperbelt police chief, Antonneil Mutentwa, yesterday confirmed that his men were pursuing two houseboys.
"We have launched a man-hunt for the two servants believed to be the prime suspects in the murder of Mrs Prannaben Patel," Mr Mutentwa said in an interview.
A postmortem was expected to be carried out yesterday.
Mrs Patel, 52, proprietor of Truckers Investment was brutally murdered by a suspected team of bandits and house servants who are on the run. She was murdered on Monday at her residence on Chinyama Crescent in Itawa residential area.
Her son, Koria Patel said the murder was believed to have occurred between 14:00 hours and 18:00 hours on Monday.
Koria said he found the body of his mother in the family's sitting room.
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