Malawi Police

When people complain about the police in the United States I roll my eyes, figuring that most officers do a good job serving the public and that, like in many walks of life, the actions of a few give a bad name to many. Plus, lots of people do stupid things while driving, get tickets, and then blame the police rather than looking into the mirror. But I digress.

Malawi police, on the other hand, are truly incompetent and corrupt and have a massive net negative effect on this society. It is so bad, in fact, that Serena and I both dislike driving because of the constant anxiety that we are going to be stopped, interrogated unjustly, and fined. This fear is not unjustified (see Exhibit B).

It is generally known that the Malawi police force does not make a living wage. As a result, they station themselves around the country randomly stopping vehicles, checking registration and insurance and, if they are looking for money, identifying small finable offenses or charging drivers for violating traffic laws. Their intent is not to keep the citizenry safe, but instead to make money. In the end, they do nothing more than menace. I have no doubt that a Malawi without police would be a better place.

Exhibit A: Our housemate had her purse stolen. In order to get a new driver's license she needed a police report. Three visits to the police station and a "greasing the wheels" fee later, she finally gets the report.

Exhibit B: My friend Jeff and I drove downtown for various errands. We stopped at a stop sign, waited for eight cars to pass, then proceeded to follow the final vehicle. The police pulled us (and about a dozen other vehicles simultaneously) over and claimed we were not supposed to turn left at the stop sign, but were supposed to wait for a light. Huh? There was no light for turning left. Finally, after fifteen minutes and speaking with various "superiors" I flatly said, "I will not pay a fine or a bribe."To which he replied, "Are you failing to comply?" Clearly, yes. Finally, when he realized it would be easier to go after the next driver for a bribe, he gave me back my license.

Exhibit C: If you have a break-in or a mugging or an anything, don't bother calling the police. They rarely have working vehicles. If they have working vehicles they do not have gas. And, if they have working vehicles with gas they aren't going to use their time and fuel to respond to a call. Instead, as the joke in Malawi goes: First call the police, then go pick them up.

Seeing this kind of corruption on a day-to-day level genuinely makes me appreciate the United States. We have plenty of flaws--including corruption!--but nothing like what we see on the ground here.