By Inspector Alfred Chimthere
Central West Region Public Relations Officer
The Deputy Director (DD) of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Jessie Nyirongo, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) has grilled detectives within Central West Region (CWR) towards achieving top-level intelligence performance in 2023.
She was speaking on Wednesday, January 18, 2022 at Central Region Training Centre (CRTC) in Lilongwe when she addressed over 40 detectives from all the stations within CWR, in what she termed “a message from the high command”.
The participants included Station Criminal Investigation Officers (SCIO’s), Fiscal and Fraud Section, Anti-Motor Vehicle Theft Unit and Anti Organised Crime officers.
Said the Nyirongo: “Teamwork is key and CID is the hub in fighting crime. Let us hit the ground running to reduce cases of murder, suicide, defilement and mob justice”.
She emphasized on suicide that detectives must think outside the box and bring up creative solutions like counseling in mitigating it.
Furthermore, she tackled on factual reports, good judgement, improved communication skills, and coordination with the other branches as some qualities of a good detective.
“A proper detective is observed by his/her decision making. I urge you to defend your title so that everyone can see that you are worth the mettle”, said Nyirongo.
The DD disclosed that an Inspectorate team has been launched at National Police headquarters to award the best performing CID Individuals and Stations during the year.
In conclusion, she also dwelled on corruption, integrity and professionalism.
On another note, she reminded the officers of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that exists between Police and the Malawi Defence Force, and shared a copy to all the SCIO’s so that detectives on the ground can familiarize with it.
Speaking earlier, the Urban Criminal Investigation Officer (UCIO) Superintendent Patricia Siwinda welcomed the DD and pledged for better CID performance in 2023.
“The officers here are hardworking and always eager to adapt to prevailing circumstances,” said Siwinda.
The session was an interactive discussion whereby participants were allowed to ask questions, while sharing ideas and solutions.
The Stations that were present included: Lilongwe, Kanengo, Lumbadzi, Mchinii, Ntcheu, Dedza, Lingadzi and Kawale.