If you're an action movie fan like me, you know how we usually say “the Police always show up at the end of an action movie, after the protagonist has dealt with the bad guys”. Well, this annoying action movie cliché that we laugh off is unfortunately a reality in Malawi; The Police mostly show up at a crime scene hours after a crime has been committed.
About a day ago, a social media user turned to social media to ask for police emergency contacts upon a realization that her house was being broken into, this was around 3 A.M. She got hold of the Area 3 Police Station but was later referred to Lingadzi Police Station, who got back to her an hour after the call, only to be told to wait until 7:00 AM for the Police to show up. Thankfully, her and her family were left unharmed, although the burglars stole personal gadgets and some other items.
Imagine if these were fully armed burglars who went on to commit other crimes in addition to the robbery. How unsettling and disappointing was the police response? Of course, law enforcement's slow response to crime scenes is nothing new; there are several occasions where some crimes could have been averted or stopped if the response was rapid, but alas! Victims of burglary and other crimes are made to wait for longer lengths of time because the Police lack the capacity to offer immediate response; some incidences, victims have even been asked to provide transportation(fuel) for the Police.
And one wonders, what good is easy access (emergency toll-lines) to the police if one doesn’t get the much-needed quick response or assistance?
Such incidences occur and we all get shocked when we look at the crime statistics, which never seem to go down. Malawi is a playground for criminals, they relax when committing crimes knowing that the police wouldn’t do anything quick even if they were alerted in time . Faster responses could be critical in dealing with violent incidents; imagine contacting the police and having them arrive in 10 or 15 minutes. I believe this can play a huge role in fighting crime as it would increase the likelihood of perpetrators being apprehended before things get out of hand.
The biggest culprit in all of this happens to be the underfunding of the Police department. Budget allocations truly reflect what we value as a country, and previous budget allocations have indicated that national security is not one of our top concerns. And of course, Police Department has several times, previously indicated that a lack of adequate funds impedes its daily operations, particularly when it comes to offering swift response (lack of emergency vehicles, fuel and staff on duty).
The slight increase in Malawi Police budget (not officially announced) from K 58.5 Billion Kwacha (2022/2023) to K 66.9 Billion Kwacha (2023/2024) offers us little hope that there will be significant changes in areas of prioritization and focus, some of which have been stated in the previous budget statements highlighting issues such as an improvement of security , public order, police infrastructure and equipment.
I hope that the allocated funds will be used for their intended purpose of ensuring safety and security; for the time being, all we can do is pray for God's mercy and protection because the police is not coming to save you.
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