October 2, 2015 By Mohamed Massaquoi
The Management Board of the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) has called on a team from the Swedish Police to provide pre-deployment training facilities and other support to the force, after presenting a memorandum of understanding for the construction of the new Sierra Leone International Law Enforcement Academy.
Giving an overview of the project, Director of Peacekeeping Operations in the SLP, Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Kalia Edward Sesay said the SLP had secured 200 acres of land at Makomp, along the Makeni-Magburaka highway, for the construction of the academy, adding that work has already started.
AIG Sesay said the SLP intends to have an international training centre for law enforcement, accountable leadership, strategic management, peacekeeping, gender, human rights, research and development that would accord their personnel training before they embark on international missions.
He said the proposed academy would enhance effective service delivery, professionalism in the security sector and also expand the scope of technical training for peacekeeping personnel.
“We have developed the governance structure of the academy, a staff capacity building regime seeking accreditation design and develop a curriculum and course framework. We have conducted an initial training-of-trainers to supervise work for the commencement of the academy,” said AIG Sesay. “We have as well consulted Professor Ekundayo J.D. Thompson – Lead, Professor Sahr Thomas Gbamanja – Deputy Lead, Professor Abdullah Mansaray, Professor Allyson Sesay, and Dr. Mohamed Yamba Bangura to make this dream a success. We want to seek opportunities for collaboration, gain insights into best practices in capacity development of the law enforcement personnel, and that is why our friends are here.”
He added that the Swedish team has been very helpful to the SLP and prayed that they would continue the good gesture so that the force would continue to perform at international level.
In his responds, the Head of Training, National Operations Department in the Swedish Police, Ola Wolter, said training and capacity building are very important and that providing good training facilities is equivalent to providing good leaders.
He said peacekeeping missions need a lot of actors, including decision-makers, adding that the SLP should encourage personnel who have gone on international missions to replicate their expertise back home.
Ats Ljungwace, also from Sweden, said the United Nations has recognised pre-training provided by them for countries engaged in peacekeeping missions, stating that Sierra Leone and The Gambia have been connected so that they can benefit from the training.
He said they were in the country in 2014 to engage state officers on the issue but because of the outbreak of Ebola, they were unable to engage more people.
“We hope to support Sierra Leone beginning next year,” assured Mr. Ljungwace. “The UN has accepted our induction training and we are currently in Mali on the process. We want to train members of the SLP for international missions so that they can continue to work at par with their international partners.”