UNIMA’s Law Enforcement Society plans to hold a symposium to certify importance of the new Bachelor’s Degree programme

The welcome meeting the Society’s executive had with first year cohort 

* There is a proposal to have a meeting with the Police College Commandant

* And also have some international stakeholders like the UNDP and DFID

* So that we can discuss the most productive ways to take our program forward

By Duncan Mlanjira

University of Malawi (UNIMA) Law Enforcement Society — the grouping of students of the Bachelor’s Degree in Law Enforcement Management & Leadership — is planning to hold the first-ever law enforcement symposium to add credence to the importance of the new programme.

This Bachelor’s Degree — managed by the Faculty of Social Sciences — is going into its third year and also offers courses from all faculties such as the forensic chemistry, managerial accounting, constitutional & administrative law, fingerprints & impressions as well as custody management.

The 4-year programme — whose main stakeholders are the Malawi Police Service, Malawi Prisons, the Immigration Department and UNIMA — will give third year students an opportunity to major in any of its specialty such as forensics or management.

It was created to fill some gaps that Malawi’s law enforcement agencies are facing, such as the many criminal cases that fall apart as most police prosecutors usually present inefficient evidence in court.

Established in 2020, the UNIMA Law Enforcement Society was formally launched on Chancellor College campus in Zomba in March this year that elected Mwaku Kalambule as president.

As a new programme, Kalambule maintains the pledge to include marketing the course — not only on campus, but to all relevant stakeholders outside the institution.

“We have planned to have the first-ever law enforcement symposium and we will soon be reaching out to relevant stakeholders to be involved in supporting this event,” Kalambule said.

“There is a proposal to have a meeting with the Police College Commandant and also have some international stakeholders like the UNDP and DFID — so that we can discuss the most productive ways to take our program forward and how they can help us with that.”

Other outreach activities include voluntary work and participation in events associated with the major law enforcement agencies around the country.

Last week, Kalambule — in the company of his deputy, Tamandani Msonkho; treasurer, Haleema Chilungo and vice-general secretary, Christopher Thobowa — who are on holidays — took time to visit the programme’s first year to welcome them and attest that they have made the right choice.

“This first year cohort was selected in 2020 and they are 9 of them,” he said. “They is another group of 2021 cohort which is set to come in August.

“When we reached out to this group, they seemed to feel very appreciated and were very happy as they didn’t really have knowledge of a lot of things at UNIMA and the program they’re taking.

“We are very grateful of the Dean of Social Science, who helped us to organize this event as it has made them feel they are part and parcel of UNIMA and that when we are all back, there will be total solidarity.”