It is my duty to remind you that Easter is that period when the Christian family world over celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Further, it is that time of the year which comes with a hive of activities such as over-night prayers, church gatherings and indeed many other social related activities.
During this same period, people also engage themselves in other activities such as going for shopping and merry making.
As a matter of fact, these activities have a direct bearing on the rise in criminal activities in the country, more especially in highly populated and other crime prone areas.
During this period, the Zambia Police Service records an increase in Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs).
It is on record that most of these RTAs mostly culminate from drunkenness and unwarranted excitement which result into loss of lives, injury and damage to property.
It, therefore, suffices to remind you that the Zambia Police Service has the constitutional mandate to protect life and property; preserve peace in the country by maintaining Law and Order through detecting and prevention of crime, hence ensuring the security of the people.
In fulfilling this core mandate, the Zambia Police Service in collaboration with other Security Wings and cooperating partners have put in place stringent measures aimed at ensuring that Peace, Law and Order prevails before, during and after the Easter period.
These strategies are not meant to curtail your rights to Freedom of Movement, Association and Assembly but to ensure that all Zambian citizens and visitors are protected from crime and undesirable vices as they enjoy the Easter period.
Let me hasten to state that crime prevention is not only the duty of the Zambia Police Service but a collective responsibility in which you, the community members, have a huge role to play.
In this regard, I wish to advise everyone of us across the country to be security conscious by practicing a simple rule of knowing your neighbour in your surrounding communities.
This is a very important crime preventive measure because it will keep reminding us on who resides in our neighbourhood.
Further, I wish to urge the Church more especially those who intend to conduct over-night prayers to ensure that they notify and work closely with the local Police so as to protect Worshipers from avoidable incidents by criminal elements.
To the general populous, never leave your quarters or houses unmanned; ensure that you leave someone at home. In addition, ensure visibility in the yard, illuminating exterior security lights, and avoid walking alone in dark places at night.
To owners of commercial business places and indeed those on shopping sprees, kindly ensure that you secure your valuables at all times.
It is also my humble appeal to those with a habit of carrying or leaving valuables and large sums of cash in their motor vehicles to desist from doing so because this attracts thefts from motor vehicles. You are further cautioned to avoid carrying huge sums of money whenever you are travelling; instead maximise the use of electronic transactions through money transfers and ATM cards.
It is also important to ensure that when in-charge of a motor vehicle, you avoid abusing drugs and alcohol as this influences bad driving habits which results in increased road carnage. For those taking long distance trips, take time to have enough rest and drive roadworthy vehicles. Above all respect road traffic rules and regulations.
I must warn that Police will not hesitate to bring to book those who choose to abrogate the law.
On a lighter note, let me conclude by commending all the men and women in uniform for their exemplary performance during the Summit for Democracy (S4D) held from Wednesday, 29th to Thursday, 30th March, 2023 and the hosting of the Vice President of the United States of America (USA) Ms. Kamala Harris on Friday, 31st March, 2023 and Saturday, 1st April, 2023.
Your resilience and commitment to duty during this crucial period was phenomenon and cannot go unnoticed.
I wish to implore you to continue with the same zeal and vigour so that together, we raise the bar in terms of security provision and help steer our institution to greater heights.
Lastly, I will be failing in my duties if i do not recognise and thank members of the public and indeed all stakeholders for collaborating and working closely with the Police in the fight against crime.
I urge you to continue with the same spirit so that we collectively stamp out all forms of crimes and put criminal elements where they belong.
On behalf of the Zambia Police Service and indeed on my own behalf, I wish you a crime free and joyous Easter period.
I thank you and God bless you all.
