Zambia: President of Zambia Hakainde Hichilema handed over 156 police Toyota Land Cruisers to police officials all the constitiuencies. The government brought the vehicles using Constituency Development Fund (CDF) of Zambia
President Hichilema hoped that the vehicles will help the police service to quickly respond to calls by citizens and help uphold law and order in the country.
Speaking during the handover ceremony at Lusaka’s Show grounds, the President urged the police service to maintain the vehicles with care and further tasked the police to work professionally as they execute their duties, without fear or favour of a person’s political or social standing.
The Head of State further sent a stern warning to everyone using their political or social standing to break the law with the hope of being protected from persecution.
He has however urged the police to follow the due process of the law and avoid arrests before investigations.
Local government and Rural Development Minister Garry Nkombo delivered some remarks at the event. Further, he thanked the President for authorizing the purchase of the vehicles which he said will help to circumvent crime in all constituencies.
Nkombo was happuy about the fact that the purchase of the vehicles will benefit all constituencies. These include the constituencies which never had police vehicles such as Dundumwezi constituency .
Further, Hakainde Hichilema announced that the Ministry concluded the ground work for the commencement of construction of Chiefs palaces in all chiefdoms.
Meanwhile, Acting Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Ambrose Lufuma said the purchase of the police vehicles is a sign of governments commitment to distribute resources equitably to all the areas in the country.
Lufuma, who is also Minister of Defence said the vehicles will greatly reduce police response time and also urged the police to maintain the vehicles in good order.
And in a vote of thanks, Kanchibiya Member of Parliament Sunday Chanda thanked government for the vehicles which he echoed will help improve security in the constituencies.
Chanda said decentralisation and Constituency Development Fund CDF are government policies that have helped to bring development to all the constituencies and stressed that they should be embraced without politicizing them.
He said the increased CDF allocation is unprecedented and that it has empowered the constituencies with the right to decide on the developments in their areas.
The distribution of CDF funded police vehicles follows the distribution of CDF monitoring vehicles and will be followed by distribution of ambulances to all constituencies next year.