PRESIDENT John Magufuli yesterday pledged to allocate more resources to the law enforcers but condemned frauds in the force, threatening stern legal measures against the embezzlers.
The president ordered the police force
and the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) to perform their duties,
with the national interest at hearts. Dr Magufuli, addressing Regional
Police Commanders, Principal State Attorneys and Regional Crimes
Officers in their two-day meeting here, acknowledged challenges impeding
the performance of the police, promising to address them head-on.
He vowed to marshal more resources to
support smooth execution of the force duties, cautioning them against
the misuse of even the meagre funds availed to them.
The president cited misappropriation in
procurement of police accessories and uniforms as well as some shoddy
contracts that the police have entered with investors as critical issues
that weaken the police activities.
He particularly questioned the contract
between the force and the investor on the Oysterbay development project.
“Oysterbay is a very prime place but you (police) have entered on
contracts that are best known to yourselves ... someone was given the
area and is now developing it," charged the president, wondering whether
the project is indeed in the public interest.
He questioned why the force could not
have acquired the title deed for the land and used it as collateral to
get loans for the construction of houses to accommodate the police
officers. “Let me be open here .... I want you (police) to understand
the direction I want you to go,” he stressed.
The president asked the DDP office to
work with integrity, expressing his disappointment over the DDP office's
failure to settle court cases despite having enough lawyers.
“I appeal to the state attorneys and the
police's criminal investigation department to always give priority to
the country’s interests … I am saying this because some state attorneys
do receive tips to mishandle cases at the expense of the public," he
charged.
The head of state charged that the
corrupt practices by the state attorneys lead to conspiracy with their
private counterparts, resulting into sloppy handling of the cases. He
underscored the need for the police force to abstain from bad conducts
like engagement in drugs and illegal weapons.
Earlier, the police decried financial
constraints. The force had told the president that lack of enough funds
was among the challenges that leads to poor working environment.
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