7 October 2008
THE mobile police camp at Central Police Station in Lusaka was yesterday completely gutted by fire which reduced personal and police property to ashes.
Lusaka City Council (LCC) fire officers from the nearby brigade, about 100 metres away, were almost beaten up by the police officers at the scene for going there about 30 minutes late.
Lusaka Police division commanding officer, Greenwell Ng'uni said the service suspected that the fire, behind the police station, was ignited by an electrical fault in one of the tents.
Four tents, together with the officers' personal possessions, police property, an impounded Fuso truck and several broken down motor vehicles were gutted by the inferno, which began around 09:00 hours while most of the officers had gone to their respective beats.
Mr Ng'uni said in an interashest the tents were occupied by a platoon of mobile paramilitary officers from Kamfisa Police training in Kitwe and expressed sadness at the loss of property.
The provincial police chief could neither confirm nor deny that some firearms had been destroyed in the process saying that only Inspector General of Police, Ephraim Mateyo could comment.
"We are very disappointed by the council fire brigade who, despite being our neighbours, came late. It is very disappointing," Mr Ng'uni said.
Officers from the Zambia Air Force (ZAF), whom Mr Ng'uni said responded much quicker, quenched the fire while the council brigade officers were dilly-dallying.
Earlier, Zambia Police Service officers, including some of the affected ones nearly beat up the fire brigade officers for arriving late at the scene, despite their offices being a stone's throw away from the police station on Church Road.
Yesterday's fire came within a week after the Radio Phoenix was gutted last Friday.
It is the second time a service mobile camp has been gutted within Lusaka this year with the first one early this year when fire swept through the camp near City Market on Los Angeles Road.
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