By KALOBWE BWALYA
YOU cannot use just one method to get rid of junkies but a multi-sectoral approach must be employed if the fight against crime is to be won, former Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo has charged.
In an interview, Mr. Kampyongo said although there was a need for security to combat the escalating scourge of crime perpetuated by junkies, the Government should also look into the major cause of junkies which was poverty and lack of employment.
He explained that there were so many factors contributing to criminality in Zambia hence the need to look at the matter holistically, failure to which the country risked having a notorious cadre of unemployed youths in communities across the country.
He said the Government should take serious measures in addressing such issues which he said were affecting every citizen in Zambia.
He noted that the main causes of Junkies were lack of employment, poverty, and hunger, adding that the junkies ended up in the streets and attacking innocent citizens.
He pointed out that if the UPND Government did not take the gangs seriously, it would bring anarchy among the communities and people would be attacked and murdered, a development which he said had been on the increase lately.
He has since advised Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister Jack Mwiimbu to involve other stakeholders in addressing this issue before it got out of hand.
He also said the issue of junkies could not be discussed in isolation because it was a very serious matter.
“When the Government is talking about policies and what they are achieving, they must be holistic. When they are saying they have introduced free education… Maybe this is why many children have ended up on the streets. How is free education contributing to ending scourges like junkies and street kids?
“How are the livelihoods of the people who have been incapacitated with high cost of living where families are failing to put food on table being impacted? The Government should not relax when it comes to tackling this serious issue,” Mr. Kampyongo said.
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