By Burnett Munthali

Civilians who assist in capturing escaped prisoners will now be rewarded with a 50kg bag of maize as a token of appreciation. The directive was issued by Bazirio Chapuwala, the Regional Prisons Commissioner for the Central Region, to all prisons under his jurisdiction.

Speaking during a New Year celebration event for prison officials in Lilongwe, Chapuwala explained that the initiative aims to motivate community members to support security officers in apprehending escapees.

“Often, civilians lack the motivation to assist in capturing escaped prisoners. With this initiative, anyone who captures an escapee will receive a 50kg bag of maize. For two escapees, that’s two bags. If someone spots or reports five escapees, they’ll receive five bags of maize,” said Chapuwala.

He emphasized that the initiative is expected to encourage civilians to either apprehend or report escaped prisoners to the police, knowing there’s a tangible reward for their efforts.

The maize used for this initiative will come from farms operated by the prison services.

Chapuwala also revealed that the prison department has faced challenges with prisoner escapes over the past year, which the reward system aims to address.

This initiative marks a unique partnership between the prison system and local communities, aimed at enhancing security and accountability in Malawi’s correctional facilities.