By Allieu S. Tunkara
The period 1998 to 2003 marked a complete overhaul of Sierra Leone’s chief law enforcement agency, the Sierra Leone Police (SLP). Thanks to the Commonwealth Community Safety and Security (CCSSP).
The British Expatriate Inspector-General, Keith Biddle was at the centre of the change the force underwent at that time. SLP’s reform project was a direct response to the pronouncement of President Ahmed Tejan Kabba after he was restored to power in 1998.
President Kabba proclaimed that he wanted to create a police service that would be a credit to the nation. He said the police force of yester years could not be relied upon to police a democratic and civilised state.
Police High Command, under Keith Biddle, responded to the President’s call by converging at the Senior Officers Mess, King Tom where they held lengthy deliberations about the policing style to be adopted in Sierra Leone.
The deliberations resulted into the formulation of a four-dimensional policing charter predicated on duties, priorities, value and aim of the SLP. In the ‘VALUE, and ‘AIM’ dimensions, SLP committed itself to valuing its own people by respecting their human rights. Under the ‘Aim’ dimension, the SLP says it policing style would be tailored towards winning the confidence of the people of Sierra Leone.
Indeed, police service is only effective when the people repose trust and confidence in it. The Presidential pronouncement and the police response set in motion a number programmes, policies and actions in the SLP that portrayed the force as a reborn force with the slogan ‘FORCE FOR GOOD.’
Once in Sierra Leone, Keith Biddle was tasked to restructure the Sierra Leone Police and to build a strong succession plan. The succession plan would comprise competent and experienced officers who will replace him and continue with his legacy after he left.
The police expert hit the ground by putting in place appropriate management and operational structures to achieve his dream of Change. One of the most important structures he created was the Corporate Services Department which consisted of Change Management Unit, Research and Planning, Internal Audit and Joint Inspectorate and Evaluation.
University graduates were absorbed into these units to help the change process. The Change Management Unit bears the responsibility of overseeing the entire change process in the SLP.
Research and planning Unit conducts annual perception surveys on the quality of service rendered by the SLP. Internal Audit is there to check financial records of the force to ensure transparency and accountability in the utilisation of the resources especially finances.
The Joint Inspectorate and Evaluation Unit monitors and inspects all police formations and submit reports to the Executive Management Board for necessary action.
Its aim is to ensure that all police units are complaint with the force policies and professional standards. Such departments as the Complaints, Discipline and Internal Investigations Department, media and community relations among others were also set up to form part of the change management.
The CDIID holds accountable police officers who resort to unprofessional conduct either in their private or official capacities. Community Relations is a unit set up to create a healthy and cordial relationship between the police and the civilians so that the fight against crime would be made easy.
Brima Acha Kamara was Assistant Inspector-General in Charge of Change Management before he succeeded Keith Biddle as Inspector-General. AIG kamara got his post-graduate education in Exeter University in the United Kingdom. He held a Masters in Police management and conducted his research in the Republic of Ireland.
After the Irish war in the 90’s, a greater part of the Irish society did not accept the police owing to their actions that led to the outbreak of the war.
A similar situation arose in Sierra Leone where police officers were vilified for their contribution to the outbreak of the war in 1991. Acha became a man of the moment. His thesis titled: ‘The Motivating Factors In Career Development Scheme of The Avon and Somerset Constabulary: Lessons For The Sierra Leone Police,’ was largely used in the reform project of the SLP.
But one of the most important police model and philosophy Keith Biddle brought was community policing. The model is a contemporary policing model that has recorded tremendous successes in various countries especially in post-conflict societies.
Community policing breeds partnership-oriented policing to solve incidents of crime in communities. It is also referred to as problem-solving policing or local needs policing.
Researchers and academics have conceptualised community policing as a policing style that meets the needs and expectations of the local community and reflect national standards and objectives.
The policing style also resonates with the definition of policing by the founder of Police service, Sir Edward Peel in 1880. Peel defined policing as the civil and preventative power which is mild in operation and effective in result, and geared towards meeting the only the ends of justice.
Much ink was also spilled in community policing philosophy when Acha Kamara authored another academic article on public and community relations facing the Sierra Leone Police.
Keith Biddle wasted no time in adopting and operationalising the philosophy of community policing since he knew quite well that with such model the country could be returned to peace without the use of arms.
Community Policing gained momentum in Sierra Leone in 2007 when senior police officers validated and adopted a document known as the Local Policing Partnership Board (LPPB) document.
The adoption of the document saw the proliferation of LPPB’s in all police divisions in Sierra Leone.
Members of LPPB’s assist the police in fighting crime in communities. Keith Biddle’s community policing was a big success for a nation that was emerging from war.
The United Nations also significantly contributed to the training of police officers especially on response to public order situations.
The Military Aid To Civil Power document was also put in place to ensure police and military professionalism in quelling down riots. Keith Biddle’s legacy continued briefly after he left Sierra Leone for his home in the UK. Current trends indicate that Keith Biddle’s legacy has been trampled in the dust of history.
It is evidenced by public bashing of the police by their response to situations of disorder. It is clear that the police have reverted to the old style policing of protecting and obeying the powerful at the expense of the powerless.
Partnership-oriented policing is no longer the norm. Police professionalism has been constantly questioned by members of the public.
International reports have always exposed the negative side of the police. SLP was recently tagged as the ten worst police agencies in the world by an international human rights report.
Keith Biddle’s dream of seeing a permanently professional police force in Sierra Leone has been battered and shattered.
Will the police fight back to regain professionalism and glory?