Police Damn Human Rights Report
The Sierra Leone Police Force (SLP) has in its regular press briefing trashed the probity reports submitted by the Human Right Commission Sierra Leone (HRCSL) over an industrial-strike action protest by workers of African Minerals Limited (AML) earlier this year. (Photo: Inspector General, Sierra Leone Police Force, Francis Alieu Munu)
Talking on the outcome of the report, the Inspector General strongly condemned the report pointing that the entire commission set-up is seriously questioned, especially when one of its commissioners by the name of Ambassador Allie Kanu, whose credibility is questionable on the basis of his dual role as an active politician serving the commission at the same time.
The IG noted that the nation and its force, the SLP has come along way in sustaining its democratic values, unto the current phraseology that people now call the Police a “Force for Good”. He noted that in its quest to better create an efficient and balanced force they instituted the Operation Support Division (OSD), to tackle extreme cases that are encountered by the police, and cited the Bumbuna incident as example of such extreme cases of total break-down of law and order.
Francis Alieu Munu further said that the police did not act with malice aforethought as it seemed to be the indictment in the report of the HRCSL, he continued by citing the Bill of Right, which he says in it dictates that the first contravention of ones right is by putting ones right in harms way through simple involvement in unlawful acts. He explained that the SLP was provoked to meddle in the incident owing to its mandate of protecting lives and properties, cooperate ventures that benefit majority of stakeholders in the country, and especially protecting the Public Order Act which was in flagrant abuse by the protesters of AML.
The IG also raised an eyebrow on the cross-examination method of the commission, saying it is intended to batter and intimidate police officers who where summoned as witnesses in the ongoing trial. He maintained that according to the report there are anomalies in the aspect of criminal proceedings, under the accusation purporting that four people might have been killed by the police and dumped at the river and also accusation of looting by the police in the heat of the mayhem, which he cited as unfair and foul in it findings.
He further argued that the reports lend credence to the opposition on the ground of an extension by criminalizing the police, whilst they were only doing their legal duty as mandated under the statutory agreement.
The press briefing featured a host of police dignitaries such as Deputy Assistant Inspector General of Police and Director of Crime Services, Morie Lengor, Assistant Inspector General of Police in Charges of Operation Al Sheik Kamara and members of the forth estate.
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