Inspector General (IG) of Police Lot Dzonzi has admitted that the ongoing strike by Judiciary support staff has hit the Malawi Police Service hard, creating congestion in holding cells, among others.
Support staff in courts have been on strike for eight days now to force government to harmonise salary increments with civil servants, a development that has seen people being denied access to justice.
In an interview on Tuesday, Dzonzi said with the strike, police cells are getting congested.
He said the remedy the police have is to release on bail suspects who have committed minor offences, especially those that will be able to report for bail and can be traced in case they jump bail.
But Dzonzi said the situation becomes complicated when the cells get filled up with people who cannot be trusted with the police bail.
The IG said the police have been put in a tight corner as they have to balance the human conditions in the cell and creating a safe environment for the public.