By Wanangwa Tembo

Kasungu, March 6, Mana: Traditional Authority (TA) Chisinga of Kasungu has lauded government for constructing modern staff houses at Chisinga Police Unit saying they will help improve security at the district’s western boarder trading centre.

Chisinga said the two houses, constructed through Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) funds to the tune of K72 million, will help attract police officers to work in the area thereby consequently boosting security.

In an interview on Tuesday the chief said, being a border area, Chisinga Trading Centre needs more police officers to help deal with cross boarder activities hence the need for more houses.

He said: “You are a police officer and your landlord is implicated in criminal activity, how would you deal with that? When law enforcers stay in rented houses, security can be compromised. This is why we laud government, through the Council, for constructing these houses.

“This is a border area and we receive so many strangers some of whom may have committed various crimes in their country. It is only the police who can determine whether they are criminals or not, but for them to do that effectively, they need to be in good numbers and staying in a good environment.”

Chisinga expressed hope that government would construct more houses to accommodate officers of other departments present in the area such as Immigration and Citizenship Services and Malawi Revenue Authority.

Kasungu District Council Director of Public Works, Davie Chigwenembe, said apart from Chisinga, more staff houses have been constructed at other police formations in the district such as Kamboni and Kapelura using GESD funds.

“For Chisinga, we understand that it is a border area so it will need more of such houses to accommodate more staff so that there is good security.

“Very soon we will procure furniture for the offices and also drill a borehole for a reticulated water system to supply the police unit and the staff houses,” he said.

Businessperson, Eluby Zimba, who orders maize flour and various soft drinks from Zambia applauded the housing project saying the presence of more police officers in an area makes traders feel safe to concentrate on their businesses.

Chisinga Trading Centre lies about 60 kilometres north-west of Kasungu boma and about 10 kilometres to the Malawi-Zambia border.