Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
MMD National Youth Secretary Bowman Lusambo
The opposition MMD Youths have called on President Edgar Lungu to seriously consider establishing the position of Deputy Police Commissioner to enhance the operations of the police service.
MMD National Youth Secretary Bowman Lusambo says many police officers have been negatively affected by the stagnation in the promotional radar in the Zambia Police Service caused by reforms initiated by late President Michael Sata.
Mr. Lusambo explains that when President Sata removed the position of Provincial Commanding Officers and replaced it with Provincial Commissioners, he inadvertently froze the position of Police Deputy Commissioner leaving the position of Police Commissioner without a Deputy.
He furthermore explains that what this has done is to frustrate and wipe out dreams of many hard working men and women in uniform who were aspiring for higher positions in the Police Command.
Mr. Lusambo says Zambia has several men and women who have worked in the police service for many years and now their hopes of rising in the hierarchy have been wiped out.
He says this has also brought about inefficiency in the running of the Police Service at the provincial level as these Commissioners are merely assisted by what are called as Assistant to the Police Commissioner who do not even have powers to act in the absence of the substantive Commissioner.
The MMD National Youth Secretary says this has created tension in the Police Service as some Commissioners have adopted ‘a know-it-all’ altitude in the running of the service and frustrating junior officers who have been working very hard to secure promotions in the service.
He says it is for this reason that President Lungu should consider establishing the position of Deputy Police Commissioner saying it will help hard working officers to have a chance to rise in the police hierarchy and continue to serve the nation.