ACC takes the fight to Panlap Police Division
In its desire to strengthen partnership with other pillars of integrity in combating graft, the Northern Regional Office of the Anti-Corruption Commission has on Friday 18th July 20114 engaged personnel of the newly established Panlap Police Division in Makeni. (Photo: Newly constituted personnel at Panlap Police Division at the ACC Customized Meeting)
Speaking on the purpose of the meeting at the Division’s conference room, ACC’s Senior Public Education Officer, Al-Hassan Sesay described the engagement as the Commission’s sustained public education campaign intended to heighten awareness on how corruption /corrupt practices can destroy the good image of the Sierra Leone Police and what would be their role as public officers in the fight. Sesay stated that Police should be a dignified enterprise and a key anti-graft crusader, noting that endemic corruption in the Police Force will result to a breakdown of law and order. He informed his audience that ACC is not a witch-hunt institution but serves as a check on the excesses of public officers/bodies. Sesay encouraged them to serve the nation diligently and work towards rebranding their image as the most corrupt government institution in the country.
ACC’s Regional Manager North, Ibrahim Ahmad Kargbo in his statement on the dangers of corruption and the role of the Police in the fight against corruption, expressed delight to personnel of the division for accepting ACC in their midst and described it as experience sharing forum. Manager Kargbo referred to the Police as street level bureaucrats due to their level of interaction with the public. He referred to the recently launched 2013 National Public Perception Survey Report and informed his audience that the Sierra Leone Police was ranked top as the most corrupt government institution in the country. Manager Kargbo went on to lament on some of the system weaknesses that have plagued the Sierra Leone Police such as: recruitment of highly questionable character into the Sierra Leone Police; lack of welfare, displacement or separation allowance; flaws in promotion procedures; inadequate housing facility; poor maintenance; over centralization of procurement and maintenance of vehicle; weak or deliberate oversight over police taking tips, bribes; reduction in entrance exams grade for new recruits; demanding money for bail and allowing unlicensed bikes to ply the streets of Makeni. He frowned at external pressures; orders from above and lack of a workable transfer policy.
Manager Kargbo noted that as public officers, the role of the Sierra Leone Police management in the fight should include: publishing the names and photos of all applicants and request vetting institutions and members of the public to vet them; develop a recruitment policy or operationalizing the existing one; publish and widely discuss promotion criteria; ensure regular power supply at police station/post; develop mechanism for the transfer of procurement. He warned them to desist from corrupt practices, asserting that offenders will be severely dealt with in accordance with the 2008 AC Act.
Dilating on some of the offences as enshrined in the 2008 AC Act, Senior Investigations Officer, Joseph Bockarie Noah drew their attention to the existence of twenty-seven offences in the Act. He explained the various offences that are likely to be committed by public officers such as: corrupt acquisition of wealth; possession of unexplained wealth; offering, soliciting and accepting advantage; influencing a public officer; bribery, misappropriation of public funds/property; misappropriation of donor funds/property; abuse of office; abuse of position; protection of public property and revenue and receiving gift for corrupt purposes. Noah disclosed that the penalty for any of the offences was a fine of not less than thirty million Leones or to imprisonment term of not less than three years or both fine and imprisonment. He also talked on offences relating to asset declaration, conspiracy to commit corruption offence and impersonation.
Earlier, the Local Unit Commander (LUC) Panlap Division, Superintendent Fannah David Mansaray in his welcome statement commended ACC for its public education drive, noting that it will help in the fight against corruption. Superintendent Mansaray encouraged his personnel to listen attentively and adhere to the advice of the Commission. ACC’s Public Education Officers Augustine Foday Ngobie and Abdulai Saccoh facilitated the meeting.
Questions and answers formed the high point of the meeting.
ACC Makeni
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