Copyright mwnation
The Malawi Police Service has pledged to leave no stone unturned in its quest to embrace technology in its operations, saying this is key to the country’s attainment of Agenda 2063. Assistant Commissioner of Police Joseph Mtumpha said this on Friday in Blantyre during the graduation of 13 police officers who underwent an intensive two-week Drone and Data Technology and Drone Remote Pilot Licence Training Programmes at Malawi University of Science and Technology (Must). Organised under Must’s African Drone and Data Academy (ADDA), the training also targets public and private institutions who want to embrace drone and data technology in their operations. Mtumpha, who is also Malawi Police director of training, said the training is not just important to police operations, but also to the country’s socio-economic development. “Agenda 2063 cannot be possible without embracing technology, more importantly in the security sector. Therefore, this particular course is handy, especially at a time that, as a country, we are grappling with effects of climate change, including cyclones. “So technology is of paramount importance because wherever we go, as a police service, be it in our search and rescue efforts during disasters, we need technology to locate victims. Therefore, in the 21st Century, we really need technology,” he said. Malawi Institute of Technology at Must executive dean Michael Zimba hailed the partnership with MPS, saying it will go a long way to technologically improve the country’s security. One of the participants, Inspector Kondwani Sambiri, asked for adequate and up-to-date resources to enable them practise what they learnt. “Everything now is going by technology. This training will help the police during our patrols and demonstrations to recognise thugs who commit various crimes. Therefore, after this training, I’m sure that our bosses will provide us with up-to-date resources to be used in our operations,” he said. The 13 officers were drawn from various departments of the service across the country.
