By Allieu Sahid Tunkara
Sierra Leone parliament has voted for the appearance of the Inspector-General (IG) of Sierra Leone Police (SLP) to defend police excesses.
The IG’s invitation is closely linked to a number of issues catalogued by the independent Police Complaints Board (IPCB), an institution that provides oversight for the SLP.
Although the report is yet to be brought within public domain, Many say, the issues are visible.
A Social commentator has said, the police over the years, have relegated to unprofessional conduct which has gone a long way to smear its image.
Brutal police action is still fresh in the minds of the people especially, their raid in a village of peaceful residents at Yonibana village in Tonkolili district. The raid, according to the head of operations, was sanctioned by the police high command.
Many residents in Yonibana said the raid was harsh and brutal as security operatives exhibited the most unprofessional conduct on that day. Privacies of individuals were invaded as police officers entered residents bedrooms and made way with money unconnected to Canabis. Motor cycles and other properties worth of millions of Leones were carted away. But, most importantly, the raid led to the death of a commercial motorist.
The death generated heated debates by civil society organisations and the public accusing the police of heavy-handedness.
The Local Unit Commander (LUC), at that time, said he was not aware of the operations conducted in his Area of responsibility. By his response, the LUC was not pleased with the operation, which according to him, was not supposed to be conducted in the manner it was supposed to be done. The LUC’s response was broadcast on the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation.
Owing to the response, police high command seemed unhappy with the response the LUC granted to the media leading to the suspension of the LUC was. Many Sierra Leoneans saw the suspension as unjustifiable.
Civil Society organisations became concerned with the operation owing to its unprofessional nature and offered a 21-day ultimatum to the government to take necessary actions regarding the police killing.
A notable CSO, Campaign for Human Rights International (CHRI), has accused the police force of being politicised. The CHRI head, Abdul Fatorma claimed that the police had forgotten their traditional role of protecting life and property.
According to CHRI, the police was bent on effecting arrests on the orders from above. The CSO also indicted the police to have stopped many Sierra Leoneans from peacefully protesting matters, they say, affect their welfare.
Again, following an injunction slammed by the high court restraining the main opposition parliamentarians, police officers were in the well to get them out. The situation then was a complete anarchy. Some parliamentarians sustained injuries and were hospitalised. The police was also labelled as an unprofessional police force as they acted under the orders of the clerk of parliament, Paran Tarawalie. While the Opposition parliamentarians were humiliated, the ruling party members of parliament were safe as they members They watched and touted: ‘GO POLICE.”
The slogan was reminiscent of a statement uttered by the then Chief Electoral commissioner, Christiana Thorpe following the announcement of the 2012 general elections which was hotly contested by former President Koroma as the incumbent and President, Julius Maada Bio then in opposition. The behaviour of the clerk of parliament and the police operatives indicate a naked show of revenge.
Arguably, the most unprofessional conduct was the shooting spree on the main opposition party headquaters at Old Railway Line in Freetown. The shelling of the APC headquaters was an aftermath of a high court verdict which stripped ten parliamentary seats of the main opposition.
At the time of the police shelling, top party executives were in the building including the party, Secretary-General, Ambassador Osman Yanssaneh. Social analysts have described the conduct of the police on the APC headquaters as one of the greatest policing disasters of the century.
The Independent Police Complaints Board (IPCB), a local body that provides police oversight, has been investigating the alleged unprofessional practices of the SLP. lengthy time was spent in the investigations warranting the public to castigate the police oversight body as reneging on its mandate. Probably, the institution was not inclined to sacrifice accuracy for speed.
By all indications, the investigations have been completed and a comprehensive report have been prepared waiting to be tabled before the house of parliament.
The IPCB report came out simultaneously with the World Internal security and Police Index (WISPI) report. WISPI is an international agency that specialised mainly in monitoring police professionalism and accountability. The report placed the SLP as the ten worst police offices in the world. The report ranked Botswana, Africa’s best police agency as 47th, police, Rwanda police force, Africa’s second best as 50th, Algeria 58th, Senegal 68th and Tunisia 72nd the list goes on. SLP high command, through its police media wing, is yet to lay hands on the report.
Quite recently, the SLP was also vilified by a report titled: ‘Trafficking in Persons (TIP) 2019” released by the US State Department. The US report accused the police of sexual harassment and penetrations on victims of trafficking who are brought to the police for protection.
The cases of Police constables Kpallu and Sandi who are answering to charges of sexual penetration and other related sexual offences in a magistrate court in eastern Sierra Leone lend credence to the US TIP report. The report contends that the unprofessional police behaviour have rendered the fight against human trafficking very difficult.
The SLP’s indictment by a plethora of reports bothering on police accountability has taken Sierra Leoneans aback considering the restructuring package it benefitted from the international community.
The pronouncement of President Kabba of blessed memories about his intention to create a police service that would be a credit to the nation lured the Common Wealth, the Department For International Development and many other countries with professional police services to invest in the SLP.
In response to Tejan Kabba’s statement, Senior police officers met at the Officers Mess at King Tom where they deliberated and came up with a four-dimensional policing charter with the aim of making the police force professional and corrupt-free.
The current IGP was part of the change management process in the SLP and has served in sensitive departments. Many Sierra Leoneans have come to witness a repugnantly ironical situation prevalent in the country’s police service.
The public awaits the IGP’s defence in parliament.