Addressing a Saturday meeting in the Maputo district of Kamavota, Khalau stressed that the police exists to protect citizens, not to extort money from them.
“Those police you call cinzentinhos (literally, “little grey ones” – from the colour of the police uniform) are there to defend you”, he said. “They can order a car to stop to see whether there are guns inside. They can search its occupants to see if they’re criminals or not. But they can’t ask for documents to negotiate a price. That’s bad”.
The traffic police, he added, should never seize driving licences, and then suggest that they can be returned at the drivers’ homes after negotiating a price.
He warned that anyone who does offer bribes to the police can also be arrested on charges of corruption.
Khalau said he had come to Kamavota to hear about the problems of the local people, and to ask for their collaboration with the police in the fight against crime.
“Denounce the criminals!”, he urged. “We know that in some cases they are our neighbours, they are our children or our grandchildren. But let’s denounce them. That’s the only way to fight against crime”. Only when the criminals were locked up could honest citizens be confident of a peaceful and happy festive season.
Some of his listeners were skeptical. One man asked where criminals acquired their guns and ammunition, making it clear he believed they enjoyed police protection.
Post published in: Africa News