By Timothy Malumo

Zambia’s Republican President His excellency, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu has warned the newly recruited trainees undergoing police training to desist from engaging themselves in indiscipline behaviour or risk face expulsion.

President Lungu sounded the warning when he made an impromptu visit to Lilayi Police College in Lusaka recently.

Mr Lungu stated that joining the police called for high levels of discipline, obedience to authority as well as recognising and respecting people’s human rights.

“Discipline is the hallmark of police. I will not protect anyone regardless of where you are coming from or which connections you may have. As long as you misbehave here, the system shall identify you and flash you out if you think you are special,” Mr Lungu said.

President Lungu who is also Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces advised recruits to forget about the luxury and comfort which they enjoyed at their parents homes and focus on the training and become useful police officers that the country shall depend on.

‘’Luxury and comfort of your parents cannot be guaranteed here. Comfort of home is not part of police training. If you think you are on holiday then you are in a wrong place, pack your bags and go,” said the President amidst silence from the recruits who gathered in the dining Hall.

President Lungu assured Police Instructors who were also part of the gathering of his government’s support in ensuring that they give sufficient training that would yield professional police officers who will be patriotic to the country.

The dining hall was filled with jubilation, cheering and ululation when the President stated that the recruits gathered were a special intake as it was the first to be visited by the Head of State at the inception of training.

Serving officers at Lilayi Police College also had time to interact with His Excellency as he allowed them to ask questions that ranged from personal to work related issues and it was during this interactive time that he promoted Constable Pumulo to the next rank.

Constable Pumulo asked President Lungu if the government could find a way of introducing sign language as a subject in police training institutions so as to equip the officers with skills that would help them to handle cases of dumb and deaf people without difficulty in the execution of their duties.

The President who was impressed with the question instantly promoted Constable Pumulo to the rank of Sergeant and assured the officer that his government was going to look into the matter.

Earlier, the Inspector General of Police, Ms Stella Libongani who was flanked by Lilayi Police College Commanding Officer, Mr Richard Mweene briefed the President on the challenges the learning institution was facing.

Ms Libongani informed the President, who was accompanied by Home Affairs Minister, Mr Davies Mwila and his Permanent Secretary, Dr Chileshe Mulenga that Lilayi Police College which was built in the early 1950s had inadequate and dilapidated infrastructure.

She singled out sanitation as one area that was critical due to erratic water supply hence the need for urgent attention.

Mr Mweene briefed the President that the learning institution lacked adequate transport as it depended on a truck to ferry the Zambia Police Brass Band to and from various functions saying “your Excellency, you may wish to know that the Police Band which is housed here uses a truck for their transport, together with their instruments. This is not conducive because instruments get damaged in the process; we therefore request that you consider giving us a luxury bus.”

President Lungu assured the police command that his government was committed to alleviating the many challenges the college was facing and further promised to give the college two luxury buses.

Others present were Deputy Inspector General in-charge of Administration, Mr Kakoma Kanganja, Lusaka province Police Commissioner, Charity Katanga, Paramilitary Battalion Commanding Officer, Mr Geza Lungu and Director for Training, Mr Mwaba Makasa.

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