March 10, 2021
By: Abdul Banya Braima
Administration after administration for the past years, there had been lapses in the swift response of the police to issues hinging on the security of the state and the protection of life and property.
In as much as the police in the past have been doing and continue to do a good job, there is still the need for the Sierra Leone Police to raise up their heads and be pro-active in especially responding swiftly to issues of violence which often turns ugly and leads to the destruction of lives and property.
The outbreak of violence most times has what economists call the multiplier effect or the ripples effect, it affects the peace and stability of the nation, it drives away investors from the country, it adversely affects the economy of the country, it sends a very bad image to the outside world.
I am therefore craving on the indulgence of the police to step up their game and be pro-active in swiftly responding to violence and security issues that bother on the lives of Sierra Leoneans. Let me make my point with a couple of examples of how violence and instability affects the growth and development of this country:
At a certain point in my work life, I was a manager incharge of a fleet of ambulances for the National Emergency Medical Services and most times travelled together with another manager, (A German). Anytime we travelled together, he will take huge sums of money with him in his backpack.
Being very close with him, and both of us travelling together all across the country, with a fleet of ambulances to all district in the country, I one day asked him why he is taking so much money with him. He said “Abdul I Love this country so much that even when I travel to Germany, I feel uncomfortable and uneasy to return back to Sierra Leone. Nevertheless, to answer your question Abdul, I travel with huge sums because in this country, anything can happen at any time, and from any point of this country, I simply can find my way to the nearest border country”.
On another trip to Kabala with a couple of Italians, after securing accommodation in a hotel and had some chat, we scheduled to rest for a while and later go take a stroll in the town. At around 5:00 pm we were about to step out of the hotel to go down Kabala town for a stroll as planned, but unfortunately the mobile company networks had gone down. Could you believe that those three Italian Ladies called it off to go with us? Yes they did. Their reason was simple, the same as my German friend. They cannot move out of the hotel when there was no network coverage in the township at that time. “Anything can happen at any time and we will not be able to make calls to be repatriated or evacuated “they told us. Truth is all foreigners see the country as unstable, which is very bad for us.
This is how foreigners currently living in this country see us. A country where anything can happen at any time, so they always live ready and prepared to be evacuated. Can you imagine how negative this sounds; is this the kind of Sierra Leone we want? Country investors see as unstable? A country where negative occurrences can occur at any time? This is shameful for our beloved mother land.
Just recently at Jui community, there was this video on social media of students from one school setting road blocks across the road, burnt down a truck to ashes because the truck hit and killed one of their colleagues. Certainly I sympathize with the bereaved family for their loss in the first place, but a swift response by the police residing in that community could have prevented destruction of so many vehicles pelted with stones and properties worth millions which were carted away. So many innocent road users where injured during the unrest. Yes, the life lost was a precious one, but the burning down of the truck possibly might have killed much more people, taking into consideration the number of people whose source of food, school and college fees, medical bills and so on is generated by that truck that was burnt down. The Police are doing a very good job as I stated earlier, but they need to push harder and be more pro-active instead of being reactive.
Again today( 4-March-2021), right at the Centre of the business area of Freetown came another violent scene with youths holding sticks, bottles, wooden stools, stones moving up light foot Boston street from the king jimmy area right across to glouster street and down the street again, returned back for the second time, crossing Walpole street/Lightfoot Boston street Junction and George Street Lightfoot Boston Street Junction( Where we have the police headquarters), with all what they had in their hands. I witnessed the scene first hand and saw no police for over twenty minutes (20). It was after they started sending stones and bottles in the air to meet and wound whoever was unfortunate that I saw six police officers who came and started firing tear gas canisters in the air. The boys dispersed for like five minutes and re-grouped again, taking and sending the teargas canisters back at the police, bottles, stones where flying in all directions, whiles tyres were burnt, sending thick smoke in the air. Standing at the window of the sixth floor of the building along George Street, the teargas was burning in my nostrils as if fire had been set inside my nose. The entire terrain was covered in smoke as more police officers had shown up, firing tear gas in the air. The smoke was so thick as if to sniff out bush meat out of its hole, as we did years back in my village. This situation is unfortunate for our country. How do we attract investors in such a country? How do businesses thrive under such an unpredictable climate? The police are doing a good job, but they need to respond swiftly to prevent a recurrence of such unfortunate incidences.
Such a climate is not good for business. All shops in the area closed down under pressure and stress. The guys selling travelling boxes where running to pack their boxes in stores, but how much could they hold in hand when tear gas canisters were raining from all angles.
Violence and an unstable climate are not good for the development of this country. Let us put politics aside and join hands for peace and stability of this country. Why allow a handful of youths whom I later learnt where “Clique boys” disturbed the smooth running of the busy commercial centre of Freetown? Moving up and down, criss-crossing George Street where we have the police headquarters for up to twenty minutes before the police could reach the scene??? The police are doing a good job, but they need to be more pro-active and swift to respond to scenes of crime, violence that affects the lives of fellow Sierra Leoneans.