EMBASSY LILONGWE - ANNUAL CRIME EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE

UNCLAS LILONGWE 000188 DEPT FOR DS/IP/AF, DS/IP/ITA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC MI SUBJECT: EMBASSY LILONGWE - ANNUAL CRIME EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE (ACEQ) -------------- ANNUAL CRIME EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE (ACEQ) -------------- ¶1. Crime Mobility (C) Criminal elements roam freely at night, and are known to target Embassy official and affluent residential areas for burglary. (15) Expatriate and Diplomatic residents and facilities are regularly targeted for home invasion robberies in the evening hours. ¶2. Crime Ambiance (C) Within walking distance (approximately one mile) of high-crime areas, which are perceived as unsafe because street and residential crimes are common day and night. (50) The neighborhoods around our residences and facilities provide refuge to criminal elements. Criminals operate freely with minimal police deterrent. Intersections within blocks of the Embassy are focal points of snatch and grab robberies. ¶3. Aggressiveness of Criminals (C) Commit street crimes and burglaries, and are not deterred by risk of confrontation with occupants during burglaries. (50) Perpetrators committing home invasion burglaries and snatch and grab robberies in the evening hours show little fear of confrontation with their victims. Confrontation is not desirable but it is not feared. Gratuitous violence is not a common component in the criminal confrontation. ¶4. Arming of Criminals (B) Armed with knives or lethal cutting weapons. (05) Edged weapons are common place in Malawi due to its agrarian economy and traditions. Pangas or machetes are common place and the most accessible weapon of choice for street criminals, however the use of firearms is not extraordinary. ¶5. Aggregation of Criminals (C) Operate in groups of two to four individuals, are disposed occasionally to be confrontational and gratuitously violent. (10) Home invasions are committed by gangs of 6-12 individuals armed with machetes. Perpetrators committing home invasion burglaries show little fear of confrontation with their victims; however, gratuitous violence is not common place in Malawi. ¶6. Deterrence and Police Response (D) Local police or neighborhood associations are totally ineffective in deterring or disrupting burglaries and other crimes in Embassy official neighborhoods, and seldom are able to apprehend or arrest suspects after the fact. (75) Weak police capacity hamstrings police effectiveness in deterring crime. Commercial guard service capacity is limited and deteriorating due to industry consolidation. ¶7. Professionalism Justification (D) Police are somewhat unprofessional and ill-trained; they are demonstrably apathetic to incidents in Embassy official neighborhoods; they have serious resource/manpower limitations that inhibit their effectiveness. (15) ILEA and other varied incentives have enticed police to provide a relatively premium police service to the Embassy. However, even that service is hampered by extremely limited capacity of the police. Corruption is a serious problem in the Police Service. Sullivan