MAPUTO, Mozambique
The recently appointed general commander of the Mozambican police force (PRM), Joaquim Sive, declared on Friday that the police should resort to dialogue rather than bullets to disperse crowds of protesters.
Speaking to finalists who were
awarded ranks at the end of a degree course in the police science academy
(Acipol), on the outskirts of Maputo, Sive said he had followed with concern
the clashes between police and demonstrators that began last October.
Initially the demonstrations
were against fraudulent results from the 9 October general election, but later
the main target for protests became the cost of living, with crowds demanding
that shopkeepers reduce their prices.
The death toll in the clashes
is now more than 300, and the great majority of these victims were killed by
police bullets.
Sive called for “balanced
measures” from the police, seeking, as far as possible, “mediation and
dialogue”.
“Faced with conflict, police
agents should act as facilitators of dialogue, as a bridge through which
citizens can find consensus”, said Sive. “To this end, they should work closely
with the people, undertake activities of public education, and revive the
community security councils”.
Sive challenged the course
graduates to set examples of integrity. “Each one of you should be an example
of integrity, respect and empathy”, he said. “Fighting crime and guaranteeing
public safety is a difficult task, but a gratifying one. Every citizen has the
right to live in a safe environment, and it is your responsibility that this
right be respected”.
Sive was echoing remarks made
last week by the Justice Minister, Mateus Saize, that the use of live
ammunition by the Police in order to contain protesters during mass
demonstrations “is not normal.”
According to the minister, in
the event of disorderly situations, “the government advises the use of rubber
bullets and tear gas, not live ammunition.”
Yet the use of real bullets has
become normal procedure, particularly for the Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR, the
Mozambican equivalent of the riot police).
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