Behavioural change campaigners in HIV/Aids prevention, Pakachere Institute of Health and Communication have disclosed that Police officers in the country are among population groups at high risk of contracting HIV/Aids due to the nature of their work.

Pakachere programs officer Basimenye Nhlema made the revelation on Thursday during a two day HIV/Aids prevention workshop organised for Police officers’ spouses which took place in Blantyre.
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“The officers work in a very risky environment because sometimes they arrest commercial sex workers during patrols at night and instead of following the law, they resort to sleeping with them by saying; zipulumutse wekha (rescue yourself).” she said.

Nhlema said the workshop was aimed at empowering the police officers spouses with knowledge so that they could play a key role in ensuring that their husbands and families in general were safe from HIV/Aids.

“In the course of the workshop, the officers’ wives opened up and revealed that sometimes they are afraid to speak to their husbands on a number of issues including their sexual behaviour because being police officers they have this mean demeanour about them,” she said.

Speaking on behalf of the officers spouses, Esnat Kanyama, wife to the Southern Region Police Commissioner, acknowledged that HIV/Aids has indeed ravaged the police service.

“We cannot hide from the truth on how the virus has affected the police force because many officers have died and left behind orphans and others are sick. This has affected the Police force in terms of numbers and efficiency because a sick officer cannot chase a thief.

“This is, therefore, a timely intervention because it will empower the women with knowledge on how they can protect their husbands, themselves and the entire families from contracting the virus so that the police can operate in full force to protect our lives and property,” she said.

The workshop is a continuation of a series of training workshops funded by UNFPA designed to empower populations at risk with knowledge to reduce the spread of the virus. Police officers have previously undergone similar training workshops.