The Malawi Police Service says the fight against crime has not been affected by the removal of the rogue and vagabond law.
The law enforcers have also refuted claims that robbery cases have increased due to inactiveness of the rogue and vagabond law.
Last year, the Blantyre High Court declared the rogue and vagabond law unconstitutional.
In their ruling, Judges Sylvester Kalembera, Michael Mtambo, and Zione Ntaba declared section 184 subsection 1C unconstitutional arguing that it reflected discrimination since it was only used against pedestrians.
The police notoriously used the law to arrest scores of people found walking at night.
But police in the country says the inactiveness of the law has not affected their operations.
In an interview with this reporter, national deputy police publicist Thomeck Nyaude said reports claiming that there is an increase of robbery cases especially at night due to removal of the law are not true.
Nyaude said police in the country are working very well despite the law being inactive for a year now.
“Our role is to enforce the available laws that parliament has passed and if the law is removed or made inactive, our role is to abide and continue with those laws that are still active.
“We have no interest in any law whether it is reinstated or removed, maintained or introduced,” said Nyaude.
The publicist further added that without rogue and vagabond they are able to do sweeping exercises since their target is to arrest all criminals, not only those vagabonding but also wanted criminals.
He continued by saying that robbery cases can occur anytime but it can’t be concluded that increase in theft is due to the inactiveness of the law of rogue and vagabond.
Nyaude then called for public participation in issues of security so as to seal all the loopholes that criminals can capitalise on.
