Lusaka police ordered to stop mounting roadblocks

By NOEL IYOMBWA TRAFFIC police officers in Lusaka have been directed to stop mounting check points due to ongoing construction works on most roads around the city. Police Traffic Division Senior Superintendent, Yoram Phiri, said that officers had been directed to concentrate on motorised traffic patrols. Mr Phiri said the road blocks were causing congestion especially during peak hours. He said that traffic officers should not be seen as contributors of traffic jams in the city by mounting road blocks on busy roads. “What we have encouraged our officers is to concentrate on motorised patrols rather than mounting checks because there is a lot of construction works going on. We should not be seen as people who are contributing to traffic jams,” Mr Phiri said. Mr Phiri explained that due to the congestion along Freedomway Road, officers were always deployed to clear way for motorists. Recently, Commuter Rights of Zambia president, Aaron Kamuti, raised concern over increased random checkpoints by traffic police officers in Lusaka. Mr Kamuti observed that the constant police check points more especially in Lusaka were meaningless and only contributing to congestion. He noted that despite various complaints over the same issue, traffic police officers in the city especially in the central business district had continued making unnecessary random road blocks.