Number 61                                                             February     2004
DEC Officers Search Woman's House Illegally
By Monica Kunda
The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) officers recently searched a woman's house in Mansa without a search warrant.
The woman Mirriam Mubanga said a combined team of police and DEC officers allegedly went to her house and demanded to search it.
They did not however disclose what they were looking for.
When she asked them to show her a Search warrant, the officers said they were government officials who could not be questioned by anyone and immediately forced their way into the house.
She said the officers woke up everyone in the house and searched all the rooms at night.
In one room, the officers ordered an old woman to wake up and one female officer searched the old lady while half naked in full view of her son-in-law.
The officers emptied all the bags in the house and left medicine tablets scattered all over the floor but did not find what they were looking for.
She said she reported the matter to Mansa Legal advice centre because she was not satisfied with the officer's search and explanation.
Mansa paralegal Officer Evaristo Chanda said he interviewed Mansa Regional DEC Commissioner who confirmed having received a lot of complaints from members of the public over the behavior of his junior officers.
Chanda however told the DEC Commissioner to advise his junior officers not to take the law into their own hands but that they must operate within the provisions of the law to avoid violations of people's rights.
"It was common knowledge that when Police / DEC officers conduct a search, they are expected by law to produce their identification (IDS) or a search warrant before they can proceed with their work," Chanda said.