MALES, FEMALES Sharing SAME Cell At A Police Post As Officers Complain Too “We have No Toilet As Officers As Well”

POOR GOVERNMENT infrastructure in Kafue’s Shimabala area has forced police officers to detain both females and males in the same cell at the Police Post.
The development has since forced the Lions Club of Shimabala to move in and build a new police post for the area.
A check at the police station found that the structure which before being turned into a police station was a 3-roomed house was badly dilapidated. The police post is not connected to electricity and has no piped water. The cell in question was originally a kitchen located outside the main structure. It neither has toilets nor the ‘chambers’ normally found in other police stations.
Detainees answer the call of nature by letting go of their waste through an exit hole dug just slightly above the floor level.
The urine then flows right through the main road which is behind the police post.
Apart from that, despite having a mast, the police post has no flag.
Police officers talked to said lack of separate cells for males and females inconvenienced women who are at times raped by male detainees while in there.
The officers indicated that all too often, they fail to detain female law breakers in the area because of lack of a cell for them.
The officers who asked not be named also complained that they too did not have a toilet.
“We have to run around looking for toilets each time we are ‘pressed’. You can imagine the embarrassment,” lamented one of the officers.
Shimabala Lions Club Founder Peter Shakafuswa- the young brother to former deputy Finance Minister, Jonas- said the development had saddened his club.
He announced that the club will soon mobilise funds and build a new police post for the area.
“We know very well that the
police are a very important
institution to any society. They
need to operate in a better
environment.” Shakafuswa said,
adding “But apart from that,
it’s also the health of detainees
that worries us as Shimabala
Lions club. We want to bring the
suffering of both the officers
and the detainees to an end by
building a new police station.”
He also said that the club plans
to build a market shelter as well
as a school in the area.

Posted by Editor on December 25, 2011. Filed under LATEST NEWS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

30 Responses to MALES, FEMALES Sharing SAME Cell At A Police Post As Officers Complain Too “We have No Toilet As Officers As Well”

Big Chilolo

December 25, 2011 at 9:33 am

What happened to human rights? If the govt can’t improve on this structure,let it 4get abt enforcing the law becoz it can’t uphold the rights of its citizens.
Exhaust Blown Diffuser

December 25, 2011 at 9:34 am

Seriously if the structure is in a bad state transfer them to the nearest jail cell not mix men and women you want to create a sex scandal..

I personally dont get it if you are jail do you lose the right of proper hygiene also coz from the story people can be answering the call of nature on a small hole they should have a proper toilet. and those cops saying they dont have a toilet as-well why accept working in that area??
Wize guy

December 25, 2011 at 10:12 am

The question is; wat did the former gov do about this? And wat wil this new gov do? Then tumfweko ask the reasons why things are like this from the police oficials coz i think their are aslep.
Uko

December 25, 2011 at 10:15 am

@Big Chibolo I agree with you
macopolo

December 25, 2011 at 10:55 am

“women are somtimes raped by detainees” are we being honest here????????
Wet swollen luga aka hule pule aka danny hule

December 25, 2011 at 11:33 am

Quite clearly these are tonga prisoners and police officers they enjoy being near feaces because they think prison is a cattle ranch and as for them mixing women in men cells its understandable coz most tonga women have stagnant hair growth which looks like table cuts
Justo

December 25, 2011 at 11:34 am

Our Police service is far below acceptable standard,some of the officers are very dull,really as an officer how can you say we do not have toilets as well.Then where do you go to answer the call of nature.Guys wake up,do you really know your conditions of service,how can live in house without any arrangement for the toilet.If you are that blind and can’t see the need for your own toilet how can you see the need for the detainees toilet.This is why you just cluster them together thoughtlessly regardless of of their sex.Please respect people it does not mean when you offend you become an animal.Please this an issue of urgency needs rectifying,and officers need refresher courses on treatment of detainees.
Emmanuel

December 25, 2011 at 11:58 am

If it can be proven that male detainees have abused female detainees sexually, then gov’t should be sued. Under no circumstances should detainees of the opposite sex be put in the same cell.
kas

December 25, 2011 at 12:14 pm

its a pity tht some chaps lyk wet luga owez sink so low en think of tribalism weneva they hv chance. shame.
papa

December 25, 2011 at 12:25 pm

@ justo cikala ulisaka sana en yo reasoning iz very shallow if there is no toilet 4 that officer at that police post wat dd u expect him/her to say surely daz that require any refresher course ? big no the issue is they ar nt to detain female suspects in the same cell with males thats unacceptable then if that buildng iz nt fit for human habitation its beta they close that police post immediately its gud that even under those unacceptable standards officers ar diligently servin de community all we nid is to fight for de improvement of that police post shakafuswa thanks 4 yo concern i hope aza peace lovin zambians ll join u.
dnice

December 25, 2011 at 12:27 pm

Now this is serious. is it shear primitiveness or just the i dont care type of attitude of our national authorities. This is a country with ruling government past and present. How on earth can they allow such a thing to happen. I hope the women who have been raped in the cells will sue the government for negligence. Yes they are offenders but they are also entitled to human rights. You cannot under any circumstance put men and women in the same prison cell. I find this very hard to believe. I hope someone out there will stand up for all the poor vulnerable women who have been raped so they can be compensated. I cry for them
Wanu Ngwee

December 25, 2011 at 12:36 pm

During 2010, government has built a lot of schools and clinics as part of their infrastructure backlog eradication programme. Does the Ministry of Home Affairs have a similar programme? It’s so disgraceful to have police posts such as the one at North Mead, Manda Hill and many other locations. The structures are so demeaning and dehumanising for our law enforcement officers. That is why society has no respect for them. Government and society always complain about corruption in the police, yet we have reduced them to squatters. Please let’s build them dignified offices with proper ablution facilities so that the public can look up to them as worth of enforcing and maintaining law and order. With the male and female suspects sharing toilet facilities in this manner we cannot solve the problem of escalating TB & HIV cases in prisons and society in general. THIS MAKES FOR VERY SAD READING, ESPECIALLY ON CHRISTMAS DAY!!
BA vovo

December 25, 2011 at 12:43 pm

Mixd? Hope sibanyengana
Air Mukwai

December 25, 2011 at 1:28 pm

bushe teshiko ili mwaa? banyinefwe naba kalume balesamba shani kumolu?ukusamba kumolu = answering call of nature.
Titus

December 25, 2011 at 2:01 pm

Papa chikala walitumpa baba tole mkanwa,tawakwata amano.Think!
Sibbuku

December 25, 2011 at 4:10 pm

ONE THING TO NOTE IS THAT THE POLICE POST COMPRISES OF OFFICERS WHO ARE VERY DULL. WHY SHOULD THEY WAIT UNTIL THE SITUATION GETS TO THAT EXTENT? WHAT LAW IS BEING IMPLEMENTED WHEN HUMAN RIGHTS LAWS ARE BEING INFRINGED. TO BE A POLICE OFFICER IS NOT JUST TO ARREST PEOPLE, YOU SHOULD FIND WAYS OF SOLICITING FOR FINANCES SOMEWHERE TO DEVELOP YOUR AREAS OF OPERATIONS. I THINK ALL THOSE GRADE SIX POLICE OFFICERS NEED TO BE RETIRED ON PUBLIC INTEREST. SECONDLY, IS THAT WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT IN A SITUATION WHERE MORE THAN 600 PRISONNERS WERE RELEASED BY ONE PERSON. MORE CONJETION IN CELLS. WHAT CAN THOSE RELEASED PRISONNERS DO IF THEY CANT GO BACK TO THERE CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES.
Peter Tosh

December 25, 2011 at 4:13 pm

@Wanu Ngwee, those are good observations, creating problems by trying to solve problems
Wanu Ngwee

December 25, 2011 at 5:19 pm

@SIBBUKU: I would not encourage policemen to go out and look for money to develop or construct police stations. You’d be encouraging corruption that way. Policing is a state function and ideally the unit in Home Affairs that plans for the establishment or refurbishment of police stations should submit their infrastructure needs to the Ministry of Works and Supply and these end-user needs should form part of the infrastructure development programme of Works and Supply, just the way Health and Education Ministries do. As custodian of government infrastructure, it then becomes the duty of Works and Supply to request for the funding of these mandates from the Min of Finance! Or am I missing something? Everytime we makeshift police stations we think they are temporal, but it has become a norm – these containers have become a new specification of a Police Station, and it’s really sickening to say the least. It’s understandble for illiterate people to be putting up shoddy structures like TUNTEMBA and not the state!
Democracy

December 25, 2011 at 7:12 pm

This is the condition of a collapsed Country where Cabinet Ministers bury in their backyard Billions of Kwachas and where there is absolute failure of leadership from the village headman to the President.Hospitals and clinics are in a mess,schools and higher institution of learning are in a mess,Prisons and the court system are in a mess,roads and public infrastructure in a mess the list is endless.The Police Dept has suffered for the last 20 yrs,There is a deficit of leadership,Let us wait and give Mr.Sata time and see if He is a leader.Support and help Him Mr.Chiluba failed,Mr.Mwanawasa failed Mr.Banda disaster we can not charge Mr.Sata give him 5 yrs
Alangizi

December 25, 2011 at 8:09 pm

Complements of the season bonse bafikala. Lekeni umufyashi ateke. 90 days is a miracle, 5 years genuine. Viva Ba Mikaweye
shimpundu pa bwato

December 26, 2011 at 8:45 am

wet swolen luga. just reading your post completely makes me want to vomit. you are an embarassment to the human species. the mere fact that that you were born doesnt add value to the cause of humanity. you are better off dead so that we can use your bones as manure. in the first instance your mothers pussy is beeegy and thats why your ****** head is big. your father had gonorea the night they met and conceived you. you are not worth being called a human being. your mouth stinks and you are a poverty stricken dog. tongas are here to stay. deal with it. no matter how you insult them they will always withstand the pressure. YOU ARE A SMALL TRIBE AND SPINELESS WARTHOGS WHO CAN NOT SURVIVE A DAY OF SERIOUS BATTLES WITH THE TONGAS. DONT PUSH US TOI FAR. BY THE WAY TELL YOUR MOTHER SHE IS NOT GOOD IN BED
Musekawalya

December 26, 2011 at 10:45 am

Sometimes i tend 2 wonder why & how such despeakable profanities (negative tribal sentiments) can b posted on2 de site without de slightest sense of shame. Cant some of these remarks be sensored b4 being made public.
I really appreciate de initiators of this site, but am disappointd wit wat some ill-bred elements ar bringing on2 the website.

We ar actually all brothers & sisters. It wud nt help if u insult yo frend & their parents coz they ar tonga, bemba or some ada tribe.Am not tonga, bt i feel bad wen u subject some1 2 such ridicule based on their tribe. No one chooses 2b of any particular tribe, nature decides 4 us.

We often condemn whites 4 being descriminatory against blacks, so why shud we also tear ourselves further by fighting amongst ourselves wen we actually ar surposed 2b united & luv one another.PLIZ
BC

December 26, 2011 at 11:22 am

Everything now has become dont kubeba. This so called new govt has not even built a single toilet but are busy with childish issues of supplied blocks to Pepsi.Are we on the right truck?
Sibbuku

December 26, 2011 at 11:37 am

@ Wanu Ngwe, I wish to salute you for your input to my comment. I totally agree with you on the procedure which should be followed to aquire funding fron the Government to support this department. But that may take ages. Im of the view that, the officers can submit a request for funding to facilitate the rehabilitation of the old structures in form of a project to the District Development Committee under the local government authority. This request/proposal may be forwarded to a full coucil meeting for ratification. It could be at this point when such submission can either be approved for support as one of the projects that would benefit from the constituency development funds, which in any case is a government support but in a different dimension. This is where I was driving my point.
Democracy

December 26, 2011 at 10:25 pm

Who the Zambians blame for these problems?
Democracy

December 26, 2011 at 10:32 pm

Who do the Zambians blame for these problems?The People of Zambia have themselves to blame.You elected Leaders which is only the first step.Step number two was not enforced demanding accountability.People elect their MP and they are not given a mandate or why they are elected.Just like when you go to Shoprite to maximize on the return on yr money you have a shopping list.MP’s must be given a shopping list some will cost money and some will change the laws to improve the quality of life for the People
Wanu Ngwee

December 26, 2011 at 11:34 pm

@SIBBUKU, Merry Christmas to you! I note your point and I think what we all seem to agree on is that our governmant seriously lacks in systems and procedures, and that this is the starting point in trying to rid the system of its inefficiencies. We definately need a national planning commission that should lead the planning processes and consolidation of the plans of all ministries, and a monitoring and control mechanism for implementation of the same!
NKANDU

December 27, 2011 at 10:24 am

ABOVE ALL,LOVE ONE ANOTHER.BLAME SATA AFTER 5 YEARS.NO TRIBAL ISSUES ,NO IMMOTIONS,AND NO TANTRAMS.DONT ANTAGONISE BECAUSE JESUS IS LORD OF ALL.
BA KOLWE

December 27, 2011 at 1:10 pm

kuti wapapa! Who is this demon propagating tribal rivery between tongas and bembas? May the fire from heaven decend on you and your househood! may you face dissapointments in your journey to forment chaos…. the Hand of God is against you…you will never be at peace till you repent… in Jesus’s name..
a sad story that requires all stakeholders to be ashamed and act in the postive only attracts negative minded chaps like WET LUGA and others ! i cannot imagine nor comprhend that such rubbish can come from a person who has been to school. may God deliver you!
mute

December 27, 2011 at 2:57 pm

wet luga, you are an idoit, Leave Tonges alone.