By Paul Fauvet
Maputo (MOZTIMES) - Mozambican President Daniel Chapo on Monday called on all officers of the Mozambican police force (PRM) to become directly involved in the fight against corruption.
Speaking in Maputo, at a ceremony marking the 51st anniversary of the foundation of the PRM, Chapo said “the police must fight, without quarter, this cancer which, for many years, has been silently killing Mozambican society”.
“Our government has chosen the fight against corruption as one of its priorities and the results have begun to appear”, he declared. Some case of corruption had been denounced in the Mozambican media, “but many other cases have not been reported, and the people involved are being held to account”.
Chapo urged the police command “to undertake a strong campaign of purification inside the police ranks, identifying and punishing those who are corrupt.
“If there is proof”, he continued, “do not hesitate to punish PRM members who are involved in this or other types of crime, because we want a PRM that is a stronghold of avengers and not a nest of criminals”.
“We are transmitting the message that anyone who stains the police uniform will be held responsible for his acts, but those who bring honour to the uniform should be recognised, rewarded and promoted”.
The PRM, Chapo said, “was born from the people to serve the people, and this principle should continue to guide the activity of our police”.
Criminals are continuing to modernise their way of operating, added the President, and the PRM should respond “as a highly professional, modern, competent and respected institution, able to respond effectively to current and future challenges”.
The fight against kidnappings “must continue to be an absolute priority”, stressed Chapo. In recent months, there had been “encouraging results”, in halting the wave of kidnappings, “but there should be no relaxation, imagining that this type of crime has passed into history”.
He warned that the criminals “are designing ways of breaking through the wall of security mounted by the State. It is imperative to maintain a high level of vigilance against kidnappings”. (PF)
