Survey shows crime down, violent crimes emerge

Malawi Police Service (MPS) says it has recorded a drop in crimes from over 100 000 per annum as of 2003 to about 65 000 as reported this year in all 33 police stations nationwide.

However, the improvement has come at a time the service has seen emergence of violent crimes in the country such as the recent attacks targeting people with albinism.

These developments are contained in a research conducted under Malawi Policing Improvement Programme with funding from Department for International Development (DfID).

Central Region Police Commissioner George Kainja said it is important to keep reviewing the laws to keep pace with the evolving crime rate and complications.

However, acting national secretary for Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP), Martin Chiphwanya, dismissed the research findings, saying they are not backed by the reality on the ground.

He said rising cases of mob justice and attacks on people with albinism speak volumes about crime rate in the country.

Chiphwanya said even among serving police officers there is growing level of crimes being committed such as corruption where the officers hardly let one go without asking for money.

Malawi Policing Improvement Programme senior policing adviser Tony Cross said although the figures are showing a drop in  crime caution should be exercised when looking at such information because the figures are only for reported cases of crime. n