It's caught on camera, police officers demanding a bribe from a taxi driver in the streets of Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This incident sheds light on the deep-rooted challenges of everyday police corruption, and its profound impact on the very citizens that they are meant to protect.
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00:00A police officer in Kinshasa asking for a bribe, a daily crime.
00:29The driver refuses to pay and a second police officer snatches his car keys, breaking them.
00:39The citizens are a source of income for the police.
00:42This ignition key works now, but it's not the same, all because of the actions of the
00:47police.
00:48If they take your ignition key, you have to know how to negotiate.
00:52If you negotiate well, you may save some time, but you will lose money.
00:57Zanias Botras was the victim then, but motorists in Kinshasa regularly deal with police harassment.
01:05They might be accused of a traffic violation, threatened with a $300 fine.
01:10Then the police officer suggests settling the case for less.
01:15Police superiors are aware of the situation.
01:18At a ceremony, General Eddie Mukuna warns his subordinates about their behaviour.
01:25You must respect the road users.
01:27Road users are not your enemies.
01:30They are not your sources of income.
01:33Respect him and his work.
01:34You are not on the public highway to beg, to arrest people without reasons.
01:44His colleague, Colonel Mukili Matabishi, thinks police corruption is much deeper rooted.
01:52There are certain members of armed groups who were dumped into the police during reunification
01:59without any training, without any ideology.
02:03So everyone had to come up with these practices of corruption and influence peddling.
02:08And this is what perpetuated the crisis of confidence between the police and the population.
02:15But others say the problem is much simpler.
02:18A police officer doesn't earn enough to afford a living in Kinshasa.
02:23So many use their power to extort road users.
02:26Problem detected, problem solved, some might think.
02:30The police seems to be addressing the issue, but their solution appears rather helpless.
02:36When a police officer reaches out to you to bribe them, we have told free numbers which
02:41are made public by the Congolese National Police.
02:44In provinces like the state of Kinshasa, you can contact the General Police Inspectorate
02:49and its corrupters.
02:50There, he will be arrested and come at the end of the month to find out the sanction
02:55imposed on him.
02:59Taxi driver Zanias Botris didn't even try to call that number.
03:04And he did not report the police officer.
03:06He does not believe it will help.
03:09Before we can have hope that things will change, the country has to change.
03:13And the current system of government has to change first.