Malawi's Police IG Praises Training Workshop on Policing in Digital Era

Yolamu stated that the training will help inform the public about crimes, road accidents, and other issues in the country.

Malawi: The Inspector General of the Malawi Police Service (MPS), Merlyne Yolamu, has praised a two-day training workshop for police public relations officers taking place in Blantyre as "critical and vital", writes Thokozani Beaton.

The workshop, organized by the Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA) and themed "Policing in the Digital Era," aims to address issues such as cyber crimes and misinformation on social media.

Yolamu stated that the training will help inform the public about crimes, road accidents, and other issues in the country.

MACRA Director General Daud Suleman highlighted the problem of mobile money fraud, which he said results in a loss of approximately K120 million per month through scams.

Dr. Stanley Khaila, the chairperson of the MACRA board and guest of honour, urged the PROs to be proactive in sharing information with the media.

"PR is the voice of an institution," he said. "If the institution doesn't speak up, the media will focus on the negatives instead of the positives."

The workshop will cover topics such as the Communications Act, the Electronic Transactions and Cyber Security Act, crisis communication, media management, and the roles and ethics of public relations officers.

The workshop is being facilitated by the Public Relations Society of Malawi (PRSM), and additional workshops will be held in Lilongwe and Mzuzu.