By Janet A. Sesay
The Regional Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police Francis Mendy, has on Saturday, June 8, 2024, during a police sensitisation on kush at the Queen Elizabeth II Quay stated that demonstrating without the permission of the police is forbidden, adding that the youth should not allow themselves to be misled by anyone to demonstrate.
ACP Mendy in his statement said there is a rumour going around that on June 19, 2024, a demonstration is going to take place in the country.
He said if people want to demonstrate, according to the Public Order Act they should apply to the Inspector General of Police and he will invite the people to a roundtable conference and there the people will mark out the routes where the demonstration will be taking place and there will be people who will take responsibility for the routes.
He warned that if people did not follow the correct procedure and are not given permission but still come out to demonstrate, they will have themselves to blame.
Mr. Mendy said the youth are useful as they have to take charge of leading the nation in the future, but only if they decide to acquire the knowledge and skills, and should not involve themselves in anything that is not good, adding that is how the youth will achieve their aims.
He said drugs and substance abuse are related to violence, adding that Sierra Leone is a law abiding county and so people should obey the law and should not same in their hands.
Commissioner Mendy furthered that most of demonstrations transform into violence, disorderly behaviour, and riotous conduct in all forms and shapes.
He said this violence will not help the country, adding that if a country is not peaceful development will not take place.
The ACP advised the youth to be mindful and should not be misled by people.
Taking about kush, ACP Mendy said in the Harbour Division they have five divisions, adding that they have been holding meetings in the region on kush sensitisation.
ACP Francis Mendy furthered that the first meeting of the kush campaign was held at Eastern Police Station, with the most recent one held at the Harbour Division.
He pleaded that everybody should come together to ensure that kush becomes a thing of the past, adding that the reason why they invited stakeholders to the meeting is because police cannot fight this fight alone and so they need collaboration and cooperation with community people to ensure a successful fight.
ACP Mendy said a good number of the youth are serving in various institutions in the country, adding that if said youth were under the influence of drugs and involved in substance abuse the work assigned to them would not be done.
He said the community people should create awareness for the youth to stop taking kush by creating laws, adding that if they are found with kush certain punishments will be meted out to them.
He ended that the police as a whole will not be able to be and see everywhere which is why they are working with community people to achieve the goal of eradicating kush from the society.