ABC blows the wind of positive attitude on LUCs

“It is an allegation when the public accuse the police, but when police officers accuse the police it is an indictment,” said Dr Agibola Thomas.

The Executive Director of Attitudinal and Behavioral Change (ABC) Secretariat made this statement during a discussion meeting with Local Unit Commanders (LUCs) of East End, Freetown, at the Ross Road Police Station on 6^th October, 2011.

Dr. Ivan Agibola Thomas told LUCs that the public outcry against the work of the police is very bad, but what is more worrisome is that some police officers especially those in the traffic unit are blaming it on their bosses. The junior traffic officers claimed that they are told by their bosses to bring a certain amount of money to the office on a weekly basis, adding that the public is saying that these traffic officers work directly with the LUCs.  The police officers said they are left with no alternative but to listen to their bosses as they are the ones who determine their promotions and their benefits.

He declared that as part of the Secretariat’s institutional approach to fight against negative attitude of Sierra Leoneans, and now that the police are trying to rebrand its negative image, the ABC has chosen the SLP as one of the institutions to target.

“The police are part of democracy as a civil institution to guide good governance structure,” Dr Thomas said, adding that they must therefore be regarded as credible and acceptably by the public. The Executive Director told East End LUCs that the police would only change its negative image as good officers by complying with the rules and regulations that guide the police as a first step of change.  He called the LUCs to be role models to junior officers.

The Second-in-Command and National Coordinator of ABC Secretariat Ms Nanette Thomas appealed to senior officers to stop harassing junior officers for money, “… junior officers do not have a garden where they pick money from,” she told the LUCs, “except they have to extort it from motorist drivers and bike riders on the street,” she added.

Ms Nanette Thomas called on all LUCs to encourage their juniors to do the right work as mandated asking them to demonstrate positive attitude in dealing with citizens as provided by law only through which behavioral refinement would be achieved. She advised them to ignore the small voice within them that always urges them to do negative things.

The National Coordinator encouraged them to read books on attitude such as “Attitude Is Everything by Jeff Keller and Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson, M.D” as a way of learning positive attitude. She defined positive attitude as the power that drives someone to success, whiles negative attitude destroys someone. If you are always blaming someone or something you will never find a solution. She stressed that your attitude and thoughts affect your life and the people around you.  She noted that it is not easy to change the behavior of anyone, but if their mind sets are changed their behavior could be modified.

The Acting Commander Freetown East, Chief Superintendent of Police, Soluku Conteh thanked the ABC for blowing the wind of positive attitude across the SLP, adding that the message has been received in good faith. He said he was happy that the indictment against the LUCs did not come from him but from the junior officers and public through the ABC Secretariat.

Chief Superintendent Conteh encouraged LUCs not to feel annoyed with the allegation against them as the most corrupt in the police force, “take it as a challenge and start doing the right thing” he appealed. He said if they have been telling junior officers to take money from offenders of the law, let them start chasing them instead.

The entourage of LUCs promised that they would start doing the right thing by putting on positive attitude. They maintained that their role is to protect lives and property in the country. But claimed that public interference into police duty especially from top officials do prevent them from doing the right thing.

By JOHN SORSOR SAMURA

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