Drunk police officer frees 13 suspects to mark New Year

A police officer in Zambia reportedly released 13 detainees from custody while intoxicated, allowing them to celebrate New Year’s Eve, according to officials.

Detective Inspector Titus Phiri, stationed at Leonard Cheelo police station in Lusaka, reportedly unlocked the cells and freed the suspects before fleeing himself, as per a BBC report.

The suspects, who were facing charges including robbery, burglary, and assault, remain at large, prompting a manhunt.

Police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga detailed the event, stating that Phiri, “in a state of intoxication, forcibly seized cell keys” from a fellow officer, Constable Serah Banda, on New Year’s Eve.

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“Subsequently, Detective Inspector Phiri unlocked both the male and female cells and instructed the suspects to leave, stating they were free to cross over into the new year,” Hamoonga said. “Out of the 15 suspects in custody, 13 escaped. Following the incident, the officer fled the scene.”

Phiri has yet to respond to the allegations.

Former presidential spokesperson and lawyer Dickson Jere commented on the episode, describing it as both amusing and reminiscent of a similar case in 1997.

“I keep laughing each time I picture the scenario – comical! But then, I remembered a similar incident in 1997,” Jere wrote on Facebook.

He referred to the late High Court Judge Kabazo Chanda, who, on New Year’s Eve in 1997, ordered the release of 53 suspects due to prolonged detention.

“Justice delayed is justice denied,” Judge Chanda said at the time, expressing frustration over the suspects being held since 1992 without trial.

Authorities continue efforts to locate the escaped suspects and resolve the incident involving Detective Inspector Phiri.