INSPECTOR General of Police Francis Kabonde has directed all provincial commanding officers to immediately disband all traffic roadblocks, describing them as a nuisance.
Mr Kabonde said the commanding officers should always be alert and ensure that the travelling public were not inconvenienced unnecessarily, saying most of the roadblocks were not beneficial to anyone.
Reacting to complaints from the public who complained of increasing number of roadblocks from Kapiri Mposhi to Lusaka, Mr Kabonde said the directive to discontinue such operations was with immediate effect.
Mr Kabonde said the commanding officers should ensure that the directive was implemented without fail, and cautioned officers who would deliberately attempt to set up a roadblock of disciplinary action.
“I want to confirm that I have with immediate effect disbanded roadblocks throughout the country because most of them are not beneficial to the service and the public as a whole and are not serving the intended purpose,” he said.
He said only checkpoints would be allowed at strategic points, adding that discontinuing of the roadblock did not mean that officers would go to sleep and that maintaining peace and order would continue.
He, however, appealed to the public to take an interest in differentiating between police officers from the Police Service and those from the Road Safety and Transport Agency (RSTA) whose line of operations was different.
He said his command was interested in ensuring that members of the public were not inconvenienced in the course of police duty while safeguarding property and maintaining peace.
At the weekend, some motorists complained over what they termed continued harassment by police officers manning roadblocks.
The motorists told the Times in Kabwe it was saddening that the public had continued to suffer at the hands of police officers in six or seven roadblocks mounted between Lusaka and Kapiri Mposhi.
The motorists claimed that as a result of the roadblocks, there had been loss of business due the inevitable delays.
[Times of Zambia]
On a bad day one would encounter not less than 3 road blocks from Livingstone Int’l Airport to Victoria Falls Border. One along Airport road, one mounted by Linda Police along Musi O Tunya Road and another one the same road mounted by Victoria Falls Police. They are not even time conscious as they stop vehicles even when they know people are rushing to catch planes.
Despite this directive we need the road blocks at the Tank in Livingstone and Kafue bridge in short we should maintain those road blocks mounted for security reasons and do away with those mounted for monetory gain. Imagine the police even go to an extent of using their private vehicles to go and mount road blocks but when one reports a crime they say they have no transport.
Credit for the independent stand here, Mr Inspector general. This is a long overdue decision. However, all check points should be dismantled and a new system of fighting crime be launched.
Good move, but why now?
I am not a cop. I think we need those roadblocks. I have noticed that each time police mount a road block, you find a lot of vehicles impounded. What does this mean? We are not following rules!!! Bring them back on. Police should also learn to research. If they find too few vehicles impounded, then there will be no need for such. Please we need these Roadblocks.
GRZ at work. Keep it up IG
Election move, how do you expect the cops to be paid without roadblocks chief?
Good IG the last time i visited Zambia with my Australian friends this was such a shame. Roadblocks everywhere and one can clearly see that nothing meaningful was being achieved. Its just presented an image that Zambia was a police state.
I asked one of the policemen what they were looking for and he could not give me an answer. I pretended to be a foreigner with my Australian passport and the guy just said please go..
What a waste of resources…. i also doubted his understanding of English. I thought English was still the official language in Zambia???
Well done IG, thanks……atleast our Zp traffic officers will learn to respect motorists as well…fighting corruption is the best step forward IG
I don’t know how many times this instruction will be issued. It appears the traffic cops simply ignore it. Another instruction that seems to be ignored is the turning of police stations into vehicle junk yards. When will these stations ever be cleared of the scrap? Does the IG ever see these scrap at all his police stations?
Mr Kabonde said the commanding officers should always be alert and ensure that the travelling public were not inconvenienced unnecessarily, saying most of the roadblocks were not beneficial to anyone- IG YOU ARE WRONG. THIS MY ATM. IMAKE OVER A MILLION KWACHA ON A GOOD DAY.
It is actually not even the roadblocks! It is what they check for. Once I was delayed for almost an hour when my (foreign number plate) car showed up without the stupid reflectors. Surely, this law was applicable to cars in the prehistoric era where reflectors were not inbuilt on cars. Nowadays the biggest part of any car’s rear light comprises reflectors. In fact when I pointed this out the so-called in-charge almost handcuffed me for “insulting the state”. What an insult to my intelligence I responded – then he eventually said “niwantota uyo musiyeni cabe ayende…” So while we dismantle, let’s also re-examine our archaic laws and disband them!!!
Good idea indeed. They were such a nuisance and of no value to the state and the public at large. They were just benefiting corrupt cops who had oh sorry has such immense apatite for blood man. They get anything from K5,000 so degrading and demeaning for a trained anti corruption officer. Try it with this; get a rotten car with no umusonko, hide your driver’s licence, do a bit of malift and keep a tip by your car door button. I bet you can go as far as you want and comeback in zed, so sick cops thirst for money. From lusaka to Kapiri you get them as follows; Kabangwe, Trafic patrol near or after Protea Hotel sign post, chisamba,Prospect, After Kabwe, Manyumbi, sometimes as you enter Kapiri, Kapiri turn off. What are they all looking for when cases are piling in offices.
#9 Good point. Please clear all those scraps from police stations. The public should also be made aware that those road blocks are inhuman to police officers. I was shocked to discover that the police who man them can be on duty for 12 hours without any food. No wonder they collect ‘VAT’ from the general public. Surely, there should be a more intelligent and humane way of providing a credible police service.
Nonsence from that useless IG cadre- retire old man!
This is when you are realising!! I don’t believe such incompetence.
In my view, potholes cause more delays than the traffic police who may even protect us from thugs, so I hope that all potholes shall also be cleared from our roads with immediate effect they are more of a shame than the well meaning Traffic Police.
As a motorist, I find this directive ill-timed because these roadblocks deter who would be criminals to run away without being at an unexpected roadblock. There are too many vehicles in Zambia that are not roadworthy, which pose a real danger to other road users.
Roadblocks must be maintained at strategic points for security reasons, & RTSA & ZP must synchronise their operations as they target the same people. The Department must also be setting up random roadblocks to curb the influx of illegal immigrants.
Department of Immigration @ 17….. Kindly note.
this is good news to all motorists but that does not mean you stop paying road tax and keeping your vehicle in road worth condition. as for traffic police officers especially in kitwe it not fundrasing.mwansa, mweemba and the group have been a nuisance to motorists i hope they will take seriously IG’s directive.
thanks bwana IG, however we still need some of these road blocks. too much crime in our country we cant afford to do away with these road-blocks.
The problem is nto road blocks but the fact that they are too disretional in where they can be setup and their purpose. For instance if one problem with them is that they cause pile-ups and delays on the highways especially considering that these are still single lanes in Zambia then they should only be set up on the exists and entry onto the highways ensuring that one does not have to go through 6 of them on a 300km stretch (Lusaka to Kapiri). The IG alludes to their being a difference between RTSA and ZP with saying what that difference is. Is he saying RTSA will continue to setup roadblocks? What is the difference btwn the roadblocks that RTSA sets up and the ones ZP does. Main problem is to much discretion and not enough coordination between the units/offices involed.
You have impressed me for the first time IG.However leave those that are sensitive to national security like kafue bridge on the turn off to Livingstone.
Thats good IG please check the roadblock at Bethel institute turnoff Chilanga and c ur officers make money without any speed trap instuments.
Thats good IG please check the roadblock at Bethel institute turnoff Chilanga and c ur officers make money without any speed trap equipment.
# 19 You have struck a point.Police Officers especially in Kitwe have amassed wealth disproportional to their earning.Audit them now how they got many corollas which are pirating an attacked.
what the government should do is reduce charges for traffice offences..as motorist we’l even start demanding for reciepts..the reason why motorist never insist on reciepts but decide to corrupt the officers is that they’l let you go on a 50pin when you had commited a crime worth 420pin..this is reality!but if charges where reduced why even think about under hand methods?in the process the government will start earning reciepted money..good call though bwana I.G but still a bit late!
traffic officers in kitwe are filthy rich..at riverside police station they even started building offices without funding from Z.P!!where were they getting the money from?ever since doc malama gave the directive to cease road blocks on the C.B the project has stopped!the other thing that should be looked at is the putting of a Z.P number on corrolla’s tied with mulegeni(rubber band) to hide the original number plate!please!!traffic officers are the worst thieves!clean up the kitwe traffic dept!