Chairperson of the Human Rights Consultative committee Undule Mwakasungula has advised police authorities to seek the assistance of Malawi defence force in containing the rising crime rate in Malawi.

The advice follows the deterioration of security in recent months which has led to cases of armed robberies and a spate of murders across the country.

He said the government is mandated at all cost to provide security to its citizenry and condemned the blaming of opposition leaders on the situation.

“If the Police officers are having problems to contain the situation alone, it was proper to engage the services of officers from the Malawi Defence Force in the short term to beef up security,” said Mwakasungula.

Home Affairs and Internal Security minister Uladi Mussa, speaking at a press briefing in Blantyre, blamed the recent deterioration of security on the former ruling DPP for sponsoring its youth cadets to carry out criminal activities to discredit President Banda’s administration.

Mwakasungula said a blame game will not assist matters but practical action is needed if citizens are to have trust in government’s security system and live peacefully.

On Thursday, a woman was raped and burnt to death and her body was discovered near Blantyre secondary school in Ndirande Township in the commercial city.