The Malawi Police Service was established on 5th October, 1921 as Nyasaland Police Force. It had its headquarters in Zomba (which was Nyasaland’s Capital City), situated at the present Police College. Police stations were established in Zomba, Blantyre, Mulanje and Mangochi.
The head of the Nyasaland Police Force was called the Chief Commissioner before it later changed to Inspector General. After attaining independence from Britain, in 1966, the then Prime Minister Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, changed the name Nyasaland to Malawi (meaning flames of fire) which automatically renamed the police force to Malawi Police Force. The last British Chief Commissioner of the NPF was Mr. JV Mullin. After him, the Head of State and Government, Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda appointed Mr. Mac Kamwana to become the first Chief Commissioner of the Malawi Police Force.
The list of Chief Commissioners and Inspector Generals is available here.
The logo of the Nyasaland Police Force was a leopard standing on a hill covered by upright rays of a sunset. The leopard surmounting logo depicted the seriousness of the police in association with the leopard’s characteristics of sniffing from a far and ability to trail and capture its prey with speed and determination without being contented with the achievements of the past.
The slogan for the Nyasaland Police Force was Police for the people by the people. This slogan remained in force until 1994 when Malawi introduced a multiparty system of Government under Dr. Elson Bakili Muluzi. During the same year, the Malawi Police Force changed its name to the Malawi Police Service and the slogan changed to Creating a safe and secure Malawi.
In the years 2019, the motto changed to a professional police service for a safe and secure Malawi.