Zambia Police has said that they are going to employ local, regional and international legal provisions to pursue the authors and publishers who publish criminal, libelous, defamatory, treasonous and seditious statements and bring them to book.
In a statement released to the media by Spokersperson Charity Munganga-Chanda, Zambia Police said that investigations into the identities of the perpetrators of such crimes are underway and they will arrest all the people involved in what they described as malicious and borderline treacherous activities hiding behind the anonymity of the internet.
Below is the statement
PRESS RELEASE
FROM : POLICE PUBLIC RELATIONS
TO : ALL MEDIA
SUBJECT : STATEMENT ON MISUSE OF CYBERSPACE
DATE : 16TH JANUARY, 2014.
The Zambia Police Service as a law enforcement agency, is mandated to enforce all the laws in the land that create offences or crimes.
Lately, the Service has seen a rise in the number of reported cases related to cybercrimes ranging from identity theft, hacking, cyber-trespass, pornography and misuse of internet services such as emails.
As you may be aware, cybercrimes take place in the cyberspace which is a global village of computer gadgets communicating with one and the other. Of late mobile phones have become immediate platforms of cyberspace activities.
Unfortunately, some unscrupulous people have taken advantage of the cyberspace to commit crimes on the internet through defamatory comments and remarks posted on websites especially through the electronic media in the name of press freedom which end up infringing a number of state security provisions.
As such, the Police shall employ local, regional and international legal provisions to pursue the authors and publishers of such criminal, libelous, defamatory, treasonous and seditious statements and bring them to book.
Some bad elements in our society have gone ahead even to use other people’s email details to commit crimes. Therefore, the Police would like to advise members of the public to secure their personal email addresses and passwords.
We would like to advise parents and guardians to step up efforts at household level to educate children on the dangers of such vices and internet misuse.
The Police service would also like to encourage all well meaning Zambians to report cyber incidences of criminal nature to the Police.
So far, other investigations into the identities of the perpetrators of such crimes are underway and we shall expose all the people involved in these malicious and borderline treacherous activities hiding behind the anonymity of the internet.
CHARITY MUNGANGA-CHANDA
POLICE SPOKESPERSON
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