In an effort to protect journalists from electoral violence ahead of fresh polls, the Malawi Police Service (MPs) has come up with security guidelines to ensure safety of journalists covering the ongoing campaign trail.
Malawi Police Public Relations Officer, Senior Superintendent James Kadadzera, announced the new security guidelines through a press statement made available to Malawi Voice on Wednesday.
Among other, Journalists are required to possess valid identity cards of their media house, to report any threat of violence to police and to have a contact number for their working place when going to cover campaign rallies.
Reacting to the development, Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)-Malawi Chapter commended the Malawi police for security measures.
“MISA Malawi would also like to thank the Inspector General and the MPs in general for developing the guidelines and to ensure their implementation.
We will continue to engage the IG and the MPs to strengthen the relationship that exists between the media and the Service in the country.
We hope this is the first step in building a relationship of trust between the media and the police,” said Tereza Ndanga
The coming of the guidelines follow MISA Malawi’s Media Advocacy Group engagement with MPs leadership on worsening reports on attacks on journalists covering political party campaigns.
