Uncle Harvest: CHILDREN IN CONFLICT WITH THE LAW.

MALAWI: A picture is trending on social media of two minors, a boy and a girl, who are alleged to have broken into a house and stolen a substantive amount of money.

This has taken place in Nkhotakota district in Central Malawi.

What is disheartening about the picture, other than the fact that such young children could commit such an act, is that the children have been handcuffed.

Interestingly, a statement from a police public relations officer from the local police unit says that such children were not supposed to have been handcuffed, but since they were arrested by members of the community that is the reason they are in cuffs.

This is infuriating.

Are members of the community police forums now supplied with handcuffs as this officer is implying? If he was trying to cover the police mistake of handcuffing minors he has made the situation worse.

How can the Police supply handcuffs to members of community police forums? How does the Police justify this if true? Truth be told, the officer who handcuffed these minors must be reprimanded.

Our police officers must always be alert to the application of proper procedures. Children in conflict with the law are not supposed to be handcuffed.

This naked unprofessionalism by police officers must stop.

It erodes public confidence in them and pushes back all their efforts at building a positive image of the Malawi Police Service.

It is only recently while addressing Police officers at Police College in Zomba that the Inspector General, Dr. George Kainja, called for competence and discipline amongst the police rank and file.

The IG's call must be heeded as a matter of urgency and at all costs.

Officers of the Malawi Police Service have a duty to protect the rights of all people, it is more so when it comes to protecting the rights of the child.

It is actually with this in mind that Victim Support Services were set up, to safeguard the rights of people.