Will police brutality stop?
Many times the police are in the media for wrong reasons. They are covered for their criminal, negligent or brutal behaviour.
The latest incident in which the police beat up and detained Blantyre Newspapers Limited (BNL) journalist Archibad Kasakura for “obstructing a police officer on duty” only points to how brutal and unprofessional police officers are. How can a journalist obstruct a police officer on duty by taking pictures? Why should the police beat up a journalist who is only doing his work? It is unacceptable that the police should continue beating up innocent people unabated. It is now routine. The Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Paul Chibingu must do something.
Although Minister of Information and Civic Education Kondwani Nankhumwa says government will take action against police officers involved, his promise should be taken with a pinch of salt. Such statements are not new and may turn out to be mere public relations designed to hoodwink the public into believing that government is concerned.
How many times have people complained or reported about police brutality and, yet no action is taken against perpetrators? After all, what is the point of reporting police brutality to the police itself when you know the culprits will be shielded?
Many Malawians have actually lost trust in the Malawi Police Service (MPS). When they see a police officer, they see corruption and brutality and not someone who works professionally to protect and defend the civil liberties of citizens for which they are employed. Already, the police have a bad reputation and they are trying to salvage whatever little credibility is left. But the continued brutal action against innocent people not only reverses the little gains made, but the reputation goes two steps backwards. More importantly, it damages the relationship between the police and the society. The society begins to see police officers as their enemies rather than partners in development or in the fight against crime.
The media, as the fourth estate, are not enemies of the police, but partners in development. It is just that in Malawi the police do not understand the role of the media, including police public relations officers themselves. Perhaps, the police should add to their training curriculum a media module so they know and understand its role in society. Any police operation done in public is a public issue and attracts public interest. This is one fact the police must know. And the police have no right to stop anyone from taking pictures.
The fact that the police were beating up innocent vendors, including defenceless women means they do not understand the law and reduce themselves to criminals. If the police were doing their work professionally, they would not have feared Kasakura because he was also on duty, to report about what was happening. He was only exercising his right witin the freedom of the press as enshrined in Section 36 of the Malawi Constitution.
Again, one does not expect the police to beat up vendors to remove them from the streets. The police should serve to uphold the dignity of the people. In this day and age, one cannot expect police officers to be beating up people for whatever reason. Such senseless behaviour has no place in a democratic Malawi. Urgent measures are needed to stop this brutality. It is not only embarrassing the government, but it makes citizens acrimonious towards the police.
National Media Institute for Southern Africa (Namisa) should do more than condemn police brutal action. Let it team up with BNL to ensure inept police officers who beat up Kasakura are sued. Alternatively, Namisa can go it alone, and approach sympathetic lawyers who can take up the case on pro bono basis. It is high time these brutal police officers are held accountable for their actions. They have been shielded for too long. They should be taught a lesson that no one is above the law. If they make a bed, they must lie on it!
