Bail education project to benefit suspects

Hitches accused persons endure while seeking bail after being arrested by Blantyre Police Station will now lessen following the launch of a new project aimed at enlightening suspects without legal representation.

The project, initiated by the Centre for Human Rights Education, Advice and Assistance (Chreaa), will be enlightening arrested suspects on how they can apply for bail on their own.

Chreaa project coordinator Elton Magalasi said the bail education project is already running in other selected police stations and courts in the Southern Region and plans were underway to roll out to other parts of the country.

The accused persons will benefit from the project through information on how to apply for bail contained in booklets distributed in police holding cells, listening to a radio player with bail application information and training of police officers on bail handling issues, he said.

Under the project, Magalasi said, the accused will also be asked to use a 24-hour toll free paralegal help line through MTL (80000333) and 331 for Airtel and TNM to give access to those who have been arrested to get advice on how to get bail.

Blantyre Police Station officer-in-charge Ellobian Banda described the project and Chreaa as key partners towards simplifying problems police face when handling bail for suspects. n