Maputo — Five policemen from the Maputo City Police Command have been arrested on charges of extortion and of supplying firearms to gangs of criminals, according to the Maputo director of the Criminal Investigation Police (PIC), Dias Balate.

One of those detained is a PIC officer, Balate said. This man used to hire out police guns to criminals, and was paid with a share in the proceeds from armed robberies.

"We found him out because of our work to locate and neutralize criminals", said Balate. "As we tried to clear up the crimes that have been happening in the city, the trail led to this policeman, and it was discovered that he was supplying some of the guns used".

Of the three police accused of extortion, one is a traffic cop whom the city police commander himself caught in the act of demanding a bribe from a citizen on the public highway.

Three other policemen are facing disciplinary proceedings in connection with the escape of 12 prisoners from cells at a police station in the southern city of Matola on Xmas Day. The three are said to have allowed the 12 to escape in exchange for 300 meticais (about 12 US dollars). Thus the price of freedom for these men was just 25 meticais (the price of a bottle of beer) each.

The initial story was that the prisoners had managed to saw their way through bars on the cell door. But investigations soon showed that this was a fabrication. One of the 12 was recaptured, and confirmed that they had simply purchased their escape.

The police on duty were already drunk, but had run out of alcohol. The prisoners gave them the 300 meticais so that they could buy more drink.

A police spokesperson, cited in Saturday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias", said that disciplinary proceedings are under way, and if the claims against the three policemen are proved, they will also face criminal proceedings.