Chief M’bwatalika wants police unit renovated

Traditional Authority M’bwatalika of Lilongwe has called for a speedy renovation of Mpingu Police Unit destroyed during protests in the aftermath of the May 21 2019 Tripartite Elections.

The chief said this on Saturday during a meeting attended by representatives of  the police, district council and conflict resolution committee.

She said: “It’s high time we renovated the police unit which was destroyed by our own children.

“We have been complaining about the absence of police officers in this area for a long time.”

Zakeyu Soko, a community member, echoed the chief’s sentiments, saying there was a security lapse in the area since the police unit was torched in August last year during anti-Jane Ansah demonstrations.

“We are ready to pool our own resources to renovate it,” he said.

In his remarks, Lilongwe district commissioner Lawford Palani said his office was ready to provide technical assistance for the renovation of the police unit.

He said: “We will send our staff to assess how much the structure will require.

“As a council, we’ll be grateful if you fix the structure so that life should get back to normal. Security is paramount for a country’s socio-economic development.”

On his part, Lilongwe Police Station officer-in charge George Chikhungu said they are committed to restore security in Mpingu and Msundwe areas once police units are maintained.

“We are ready to deploy officers as soon as the police units are renovated. It is our mandate to provide law and order to everyone, everywhere,” he said.

Lilongwe District Conflict Resolution Committee chairperson Alex Chapondera hailed the meeting as a right step in restoring security in the area.

He, however, advised the community to exercise full responsibility and ownership of the police unit once it is operational.