Police ordered to stop checking vehicle fitness

Traffic police officers have been ordered to stop checking vehicle certificates of fitness (COF) because of technical problems at the Road Traffic and Safety Services Department.

Police spokesperson for the South Nicholas Gondwa confirmed the development in an interview on Sunday.

“Police have temporarily stopped checking anything that is connected with the Road Traffic and Safety Services Department such as vehicle registration or COF because of a technical fault at the department,” said Gondwa.

He, however, warned that police will continue executing such duties as checking tyres and speed limit.

A statement from the road traffic directorate confirms the problem, but it does not state when it started.

“The Directorate of Road Traffic and Safety Services (DRTSS), formerly known as the Road Traffic Directorate wishes to inform the general public that it is currently experiencing a few hiccups with its MALTIS system which is currently undergoing system upgrade,” reads in part the statement published in Weekend Nation of July 5, 2014.

In an interview, spokesperson for the Department Chisomo Chibwana said there was a system upgrade which caused some information to disappear.

“Some of the information that was captured missed during the time we were upgrading the system. This is the reason we are calling on those that transacted with us between June 23 and 25 this year to come for verification,” said Chibwana.

On the directive to traffic police not to check on vehicles, the spokesperson said it was because of the misinformation on some documents.