The Inspection générale de la Police nationale congolaise (IG-PNC) has arrested over 20 corrupt police officers and several impostors in a 3-day operation in Kinshasa. The operation, which took place from October 28-30, involved nearly 70 inspectors deployed to various police stations and sub-stations. The IG-PNC said the operation aimed to identify police officers involved in violations of the law, particularly in protecting individual freedoms, and those impersonating police officers.
Among those arrested were several judicial police officers (OPJ) accused of arbitrary and illegal detentions. The IG-PNC also arrested individuals impersonating police officers, some of whom had no service cards or administrative documents. Investigators found that these impostors 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 said some of the impostors were former recruits who abandoned their training or never completed the necessary administrative procedures. The commanders involved in infiltrating these impostors are also being sought. These arrests followed instructions from Inspector General Patience Mushid Yav to track down police officers involved in abuses that tarnish the image of the Congolese National Police.
The IG-PNC has promised to continue the crackdown. Commissioner Donatien Ngoy, secretary of the operation coordination, warned that controls would continue in all police units. He said the arrested individuals were just a sample and that the IG-PNC would track down and bring to justice all police officers involved in abuses.
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 office in the Gombe commune. During the operation, inspectors also released several people arbitrarily or irregularly detained in visited cells.
Some of the released detainees praised the IG-PNC's intervention and called for further operations in other detention centers. One former detainee expressed gratitude to the IG-PNC and encouraged them to continue their work. Inspector General Patience Mushid Yav said the operation should serve as a warning to all police services, particularly those accused of extortion and racketeering.
The IG-PNC operation resulted in the arrest of over 20 corrupt police officers and impostors, and the release of several arbitrarily detained individuals. The institution vowed to continue fighting practices that tarnish the image of the Congolese National Police.
Key points
- Over 20 corrupt police officers and impostors arrested in 3-day Kinshasa operation
- IG-PNC to continue crackdown on police abuses
- Released detainees praise IG-PNC intervention
