The vice president of the defense, security, and public order commission of the parliament, Deolinda João Chichoma, says it is urgent to purify the ranks of the police to combat corruption and the participation of officers in criminal acts, including kidnappings.

She was speaking in Niassa, in the north of the country, where the police commander of the Marrupa district is under arrest, accused of leading a group of criminals who assault citizens with firearms.

The said commander is also accused of illicit collections, mainly from local economic agents.

"The police have to purify their ranks. It's urgent that we put an end to these situations that taint the police and society as a whole," Chichoma told VOA, visibly distressed by the situation.

In the neighboring province of Nampula, two officers of the Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR), an elite unit of the Mozambican police, are being held in the district of Mogovolas, accused of kidnapping and swindling.

In the capital, Maputo, three Mozambican police officers are being held, accused in a kidnapping crime that occurred in February this year. An agent of the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) is part of this group.

These are some of the many cases involving members of the police force and do not include those recorded in 2021.

Terrorism

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Arsénia Massingue says corruption and other malpractices in the Defense and Security Forces (FDS) compromise the fight against terrorism in Cabo Delgado.

The governor has been visiting several districts of Cabo Delgado, and heard reports from the people about the alleged bad performance of elements of the FDS, especially cases of extortion.

"There are cases of corruption; the work of a large part of our colleagues should not be tarnished by a stain of two or three people, who stubbornly bring a negative image to such a sacrificial job that can even lead to death," Massingue.

However, for the analyst Fernando Lima, it is not enough to assume the problem, it is necessary to act, because without an effective combat within the police itself, it is very difficult to be effective against kidnappings and corruption in the corporation.

Lima said that the Government of Mozambique, "looking at this situation, should know what should be done so that the police respond to the challenges of the country and the concerns of the citizens; it is not a problem of appeals, it is a problem of action.