BY EDITOR
11th January 2014
The police who are charged with the responsibility of protecting people’s lives and property have always displayed dismal performance whenever such incidents occur -- they often arrest the wrong people or make no move at all.
On Wednesday, Dar es Salaam Special Police Zone Commander Suleiman Kova partly placed blame on media for thwarting police efforts to solve a number of high-profile kidnap and torture cases.
With due respect, Commander Kova, how can media possibly stop police from doing their jobs?
Talk of lame excuses, this one qualifies for an entry into some prominent book of records; we certainly wish to differ with Kova in the strongest possible terms.
We strongly beg to differ with Kova due to a simple reason that on Tuesday this week Tanzanians were again shocked by news that Chadema Youth wing leader for Temeke district Joseph Yona was kidnapped and severely beaten by unknown individuals.
According to police, two people were later arrested for questioning.
This week’s incident serves as a memory to similar cases that occurred in the recent past as it may be recalled that about two years ago Dr Steven Ulimboka who was the spokesperson of doctors who were protesting against poor pay and unfriendly working conditions, was brutally assaulted after being kidnapped by unknown assailants. Until today no convincing move has been made by police to put the real suspects to justice.
Last year Absalom Kibanda, the Managing Editor of New Habari Corporation(NHC) suffered similar ordeal after which no arrests were been made until today.
When media houses report kidnap and torture, they do so purely on public interest. Contrary to what many of our readers believe, print or radio and TV do not make money from news – no matter how saucy: they do so from commercial adverts!
A study in the UK once established that in order to break even just on sales a tabloid had to produce – and sell – at least a million copies a day. This is not anywhere what third World media houses can possibly do.
However, there is one good thing that the media is doing which is good for the police: many of the things we report on need police follow-up.
By doing so, we aren’t setting an agenda for the police; we simply reflect on public concerns.
Kidnaps and torture mean one possible thing: that the police are letting the public down!
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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