The Malawi Police Service is an independent organ of the executive that is mandated by the constitution to protect public safety and the rights of persons in

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

. The Malawi Police Service is overseen by an

Inspector General of Police An inspector-general of police is a senior police officer in the police force or police service of several nations. The rank usually refers to the head of a large regional command within a police service, and in many countries refers to the most ...

Police Ranks

* Inspector General * Deputy Inspector General *

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

Deputy Commissioner A deputy commissioner is a police, income tax or administrative official in many countries. The rank is commonplace in police forces of Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, usually ranking below the Commissioner. Australia In all Aust ...

* Assistant Commissioner * Senior Superintendent * Superintendent *

Assistant Superintendent Assistant superintendent, or assistant superintendent of police (ASP), is a rank that was used by police forces in the British Empire and is still used in many police forces in the Commonwealth. It was usually the lowest rank that could be held ...

Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia The rank of Inspector is present in all Australian police forces excep ...

* Sub Inspector *

Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...

Inspector General

The Inspector General is the head of the Malawi Police Service. The position is appointed by the

President of Malawi The president of the Republic of Malawi () is the head of state and head of government of Malawi. The president leads the executive branch of the Government of Malawi and is the commander-in-chief of the Malawian Defence Force. The current ...

and confirmed by the National Assembly. The Public Appointments Committee may at any time inquire as to the competence of the person. The Inspector General of Police can only serve for five years in that position. The Inspector General of Police can be removed by the president for being incompetent, incapacitated, compromised, or reaching retirement age. The Inspector General oversees the Malawi Police Service (MPS) under Ministry of Internal Affairs and Public Security. The Inspector General is assisted by a Deputy and two commissioners who run the administration and operations respectively. The current Inspector General is remembered for strengthening MPS by establishing two new policing regions, that is, Central East and South East. Inspector generals:

Societal Impact

During the

Hastings Banda Hastings Kamuzu Banda ( – 25 November 1997) was a Malawian politician and statesman who served as the leader of Malawi from 1964 to 1994. He served as Prime Minister of Malawi, Prime Minister from independence in 1964 to 1966, when Malawi was ...

regime the police were involved in suppressing dissent. After the 8 March 1992 pastoral letter:

''There were public demonstrations in support of the bishops - notably at the University in Blantyre and Zomba, where soldiers indicated their support for the students and deterred violent police action against the protesters. This was the first sign of the army's future political role. In May 1992 student protesters were joined by striking workers in Blantyre. In two days of riots dozens of protesters were killed by armed police and Young Pioneers.''

The capabilities of the Malawi Police Service are growing, but its abilities to deter and investigate crimes, assist victims, and apprehend criminals are extremely limited. The police lack basic equipment (particularly transportation), are poorly funded, and do not receive sufficient training. Public support for the police has continued to drop, due in part to alleged corruption and ineffectiveness in deterring criminal activity.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Malawi Police Service Website

Malawi Constitution - Inspector General of Malawi Police Service

Interpol - Malawi
Law enforcement in Malawi Government of Malawi