The Inspection générale de la Police nationale congolaise (IG-PNC) has arrested over 20 corrupt police officers and several impersonators in a 3-day operation in Kinshasa. The arrests were made between October 28-30, with nearly 70 inspectors deployed to various police stations and sub-stations. The operation aimed to identify police officers involved in law violations, particularly regarding individual liberties, and those impersonating police officers.
Among those arrested were several judicial police officers (OPJ) accused of arbitrary and illegal detentions. The IG-PNC stated that some individuals apprehended had no service cards or administrative documents confirming their status as police officers. Investigators claim these individuals were irregularly recruited by some sub-station commanders, equipped with police uniforms and equipment, and involved in various abuses, including extortion and racketeering.
The IG-PNC revealed that some impersonators were former recruits who abandoned their training or never completed administrative procedures for recruitment into the Police nationale congolaise. Commanders involved in infiltrating these impersonators are also being sought. These arrests follow instructions from Inspector General Patience Mushid Yav, who ordered inspectors to track down police officers involved in abuses that tarnish the image of the Police nationale congolaise.
The IG-PNC has promised to continue tracking down corrupt police officers. Commissioner Donatien Ngoy, secretary of the operation coordination, warned that controls will continue in all police units. He stated that the arrested individuals, claiming to be police officers or not, used civilians as scouts, and that the IG-PNC will pursue and bring them to justice.
Commissioner Jean-Claude Tshibuyanga, who led one of the control teams, called on the population to collaborate with the IG-PNC by denouncing abuses committed by some police officers. He encouraged citizens to report cases to the IG-PNC, stating that those arrested were only a sample and that others are still hiding.
During the operation, inspectors also released several people arbitrarily or irregularly detained in visited cells. Some citizens praised the IG-PNC's intervention and requested continued operations in other detention centers. One former detainee expressed gratitude, stating that he was liberated after a cell inspection and encouraged the IG-PNC's work.
Inspector General Patience Mushid Yav stated that this operation should serve as a warning to all police services, particularly those regularly accused of extortion and racketeering. He emphasized that the fight against these practices will remain a priority for the IG-PNC.
Key points
- Over 20 corrupt police officers and impersonators arrested in 3-day Kinshasa operation
- IG-PNC to continue tracking down corrupt police officers
- Citizens encouraged to collaborate with IG-PNC in denouncing police abuses
