ZCS PROBES ‘SERIAL KILLER’ ESCAPE

By PETER SICHALI I HAVE directed the Deputy Commissioner General and the directors to investigate how the suspected serial killers that allegedly murdered nine women managed to escape from the Correctional facility, Zambia Correctional Services (ZCS) Commissioner-General Chisela Chileshe has said. Dr Chisela said the service would also investigate the lapses that could have occurred resulting into the escape of an inmate. “Every system has lapses and will investigate  how security lapses happened leading the escape of inmates suspected to have murdered nine people,” Dr Chileshe said. Meanwhile, Dr Chileshe said the ZCS had been given authority to train 500 officers in psychology to ascertain mental faculties of inmates. Dr Chileshe said the service had also employed psychiatrists and doctors, who are general practioners, from the University of Zambia. He said the service had realised that it had gaps in treatment of inmates with mental challenges. Meanwhile, regulation that accords inmates serving life sentence has been in existence for more than 50 years. He said the Act had been in existence for some time and had not just come up because of an election. Dr Chileshe said section 116 of the Prisons Act gives power to the Head of State to licence a prisoner serving life imprisonment sentence. He said the PF Government has been working toward the transformation of the Correctional Services. Dr Chileshe said the piece of legislation has never been invoked since its enactment 50 years ago.