Malawi Police to reduce custody of children by 90%

Northern Region commissioner of police Wilson Matinga says police will ensure that they reduce the number of children who are found in custody by 90 percent.

Matinga said this on Monday when he opened a three-day workshop for child welfare officers from the region aimed at equipping them with skills of handling children’s cases.

According to Matinga, there is need for children who have been arrested to be diverted or undergo a speedy court process.

“By diversion, we mean that children who have been arrested have to be referred to other departments such as Social Welfare where their cases can be handled rather than going through the normal court procedures.

“In cases where diversion does not apply, the cases have to be handled at a faster rate so that children don’t stay in custody for so long,” said Matinga.

Matinga said keeping children in custody and having them go through the normal court process helps in building hard-core criminals.

However, he said the main challenge was the feeling that children have the right to do anything they want and as such they get involved in crime.