The Alliance for Community Action (ACA) says Minister of Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo must ensure that there is professionalism in the police service because the country can degenerate into chaos when laws are selectively applied.

In a statement yesterday, ACA executive director Laura Miti noted that the police were not an extension of either the ruling party or the opposition.

“The ACA would like to remind the police high command that they have a fundamental duty to oversee a non-partisan law enforcement in the country. The police are not an extension of either the ruling party or the opposition. The ACA therefore calls on the Minister of Home Affairs to immediately enforce the observance of the Constitution of the land in the way the police carry out their law enforcement duties. Our country’s stability depends on all citizens being able to implicitly trust the objectivity and independence of law enforcement. When laws are selectively applied by the law enforcement agencies, that all citizens depend on to maintain law and order, a nation can degenerate into chaos,” Miti stated.

“At ACA, we envision a Zambia at which all the citizens can enjoy equitable access to all her resources. This includes law enforcement which is just and fair.”

Miti said stated that she was concerned about the tendency by police to make statements with political overtones among other issues.

“The ACA would like to express its growing concern on what it views as the increasing incidents in which the high command and ordinary members of the Zambia Police Service act well outside the law of the land. In the recent past, the ACA was particularly alarmed by four incieents, firstly, the reported excessive force used by the UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema which allegedly left property destroyed. Then the Southern Province Commissioner Bonny Kapeso issuing a threat on public radio to break bones of citizens during a recent visit of the President to the city,” stated Miti.

“Thirdly, the refusal by police to accept a report by Mrs Hichilema on the reported destruction of property and finally, the increasing tendency by police spokespersons to make statements of law enforcement that have very political overtones.”