June 14, 2018
By Ishmael Sallieu Koroma
Head of Operations in the Sierra Leone Police, AIG Elizabeth Turay
Head of Operations in the Sierra Leone Police (SLP), Assistant Inspector General of Police Elizabeth Turay, has said the police would provide frequent patrols and step-up security across the country during the rainy season, which peaks in July and August.
Updating the public on national security issues at police headquarters Tuesday, AIG Turay said the move was a proactive one aimed at deterring increased thievery and criminal activities during the rains.
She said that, as an organisation that is responsible to guard and protect the lives of citizens, they were putting everything in place to ensure robust night patrols over the coming weeks in the Western Area and the regions to curb criminal activities.
“Most of our patrols are intelligence led. We are working with our intelligence apparatus to actually feed us the necessary intelligence that will guide our operations both day and night,” she said.
She also revealed that they have already embarked on frequent raids on ghettos and crime prone areas across the municipality, adding that they were committed to safe-guarding the lives and properties of the public.
AIG Turay revealed that the Police have also had to contend with the issue of boundary disputes in some parts of the country, which poses security threats, adding that there was contention over the ownership of Mayombo in Biriwa Chiefdom, Bombali district in the north, between the Limbas and Mandingos.
“We have actually tried to engage the authorities that specific areas should be a no go area for both tribes in terms of farming activities and the police is actually monitoring that,” she told newsmen.
The police operations boss spoke about other security threat areas across the country but assured that the deployment of officers across the country would help nip them in the bud, and called on the government to help them tackle the security challenge
“Mob justice is also another challenge. During the past two months there have been three recorded cases of mob justice in various locations across Freetown,” she noted.
However, she noted that, “The security of the country is generally peaceful though we have isolated reported incidence.”