Tembo insinuates poor salaries may be driving policemen into crime, suggests salary increments

Sean Tembo, leader of the Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) party, has called on the government to immediately increase the salaries of police officers.

Tembo highlighted that high inflation, averaging 15 percent per annum over the past three years under UPND rule, had devalued officers’ salaries.

In a statement issued in Lusaka on Wednesday, Tembo noted that many police officers were struggling financially and unable to adequately provide for their families.

“Most police officers look like they are unemployed, yet they work for the government,” he said.

Tembo warned that paying low salaries to those responsible for maintaining law and order and who are mandated to carry firearms, poses a national security risk.

He attributed recent incidents of police involvement in criminal activities to their diminished salaries, exacerbated by inflation.

He referenced the murder of Independent Broadcasting Authority Director-General, Guntila Muleya, suggesting that some police officers might be involved in criminal activities to supplement their income using state-issued firearms.

“We advise the UPND Government to focus on improving the conditions of service for existing police officers rather than recruiting thousands of additional officers who remain idle,” Tembo stated.

He said that sound national security depends on the quality, discipline and motivation of security personnel, not just their quantity.

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