Members of the community around Kamwendo trading centre yesterday pelted their police station with bricks and stones, accusing police officers of aiding thieves to terrorise people in the area.

This is the latest show of anger by Malawians over insecurity in the country

A home of one of the community members was robbed of a television set, but the culprit was not captured.

A shop owner Kayika Banda said in an interview that handcuffs were dropped during the chase.

"Instead one of our friends found handcuffs which we suspect was dropped by the thief. It is the same Police who are helping thieves or stealing from us instead of protecting us," Banda said.

In protest, some people mobilised each other to demand answers from the Police and it was during the fracas that people attacked the police station.

Mchinji police publicist Moses Nyirenda confirmed that people smashed windows of the police station when cops tried to quell the fracas.

He said no arrests have been carried out so far, but he said members of the community represented by Group Village Headman Kamwendo and the police management held a meeting to discuss the way forward.

"Police are still trying to get to the bottom of the issue because there was a misunderstanding between police and the complainants but this could not have led to such a fracas," Nyirenda said.