Police in Kitwe have arrested three officers serving under Community Crime Prevention Unit for allegedly beating a hand-cuffed suspect to death.  

Copperbelt Province Police commissioner Charity Katanga the three were detained for murder.

Katanga explained that the deceased suspect, Fackson Mwanza, was apprehended for assault.

“We had a case of murder which occurred on 7th January 2018 between 19:30 and 20:40 hours in Mwaiseni compound in which three CPCU officers went to apprehend the deceased by the name of Fackson Mwanza, 34 of house number H862 Ndeke Village. The same was being apprehended for assault occasionaning actual bodily harm. So the complainant is Mariane Mwanza, 25 of New Plots in Ndeke Village. In the process and on the way, the three officers allegedly beat up the deceased who was handcuffed until he became unconscience. They picked him up and brought him to Ndeke police post. At the police station, officers on duty noticed that the suspect in handcuffs was not breathing and that’s how he was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead. The body is in Kitwe Teaching hospitals awaiting postmortem. The three CPCU’s are detained for muder. They will be officially charged after postmortem results come out,” Katanga said.

She identified the officers as Mwape Malale, 57, Shawa Ziyalula, 47 and Edwin Mayamba, 24, all of Kitwe’s Mwaiseni compound.

“These CPCU officers are oriented when joining and it is not expected for them, just like police officers, to beat up members of the public let alone in this state where they are already handcuffed. That was uncalled for that’s why they have been detained,” said Katanga.