This is really an AK-47. These are also our guns. Violent crime is rampant, particularly in the run- up to the elections. Householders now keep valuable possessions in bedrooms, but this does not deter thieves. When robbers approach a house, they go straight to the bedroom and announce their arrival.
Vehicle theft is rife, with many cars being taken into Zambia.
Robbers have also gone to the extreme of posing as priests. In one incident they stole clothes and a video from church offices in Lilongwe. Police protection is negligible, and householders calling for assistance are fobbed off with the excuse that there is no transport. The problem is that a free civil society is new to Malawians, and the result is that the worst aspects have developed. Some government ministers now carry guns.