By Andrew Ndhlovu
President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has directed Minister of Homeland Security to lobby with finance minister to raise salaries for Police officers.
Speaking during the passing out of the first cohort of 1,376 police recruits at Limbe Police Training School in Blantyre, he said time has come for police officers to get salaries according to their work.
“Let’s not say police officers should get change at the road blocks, we should give them enough salary according to their work as they are working hard giving security to this country,” Chakwera said.
He further said that during his time as the President of Malawi he is making sure that the rule of law is first in everything including politics.
President Chakwera has also said his government will continue recruiting more police officers because the country currently has few police officers.
“When I was coming into power I found few police officers and that contributed a lot for some people to go about committing crimes without being caught.
“Police officers need to be exemplary to Malawians so that no one should take the law own their hands,” he said.
He added that his government has recruited 6000 police officers since coming to power and he will also recruit 2000 more who are currently in training.
Minister of Homeland Security, ken Zikhale Ng’oma, says his ministry continues to looby for more budgetary support for the recruitment of more officers to fill the gap by 2026.
In her remarks Inspector General of the Malawi Police Service, Merlyn Yolamu says the Police civilian ratio in the country is still high currently at one officer policing 1010 civilians.
