The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Southern Region Office has engaged personnel of the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) in Moyamba and Mattru Jong police stations on the contents of the recently released Corruption Perception Survey conducted by the Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law, with sponsorship from DFID. The engagements took place on Tuesday, 23rd June, 2020 and Thursday, 25th June, 2020 at the Moyamba and Mattru Jong Police Stations respectively.
The ACC Regional Manager South, Musa Jawara, applauded the SLP for their national support in the containment of the Covid-19 pandemic and the maintenance of the country’s security.
He noted that an insecure state cannot attract foreign investment, emphasizing that a transparent and accountable police force can rapidly foster economic and social development. He made reference to the recent sting operations conducted by the ACC in which a military officer was arrested for receiving a bribe at the Mile 6- Mangay Covid-19 checkpoint. He also noted that acts of bribery and extortion by the police were singled out in the Corruption Perception Survey, adding that “such irresponsible act has the tendency of spreading the pandemic far and wide”. He therefore admonished the officers to reengineer their efforts against bribery and show zero tolerance for any act of corruption.
The ACC Southern Region Prosecutor, Abubakarr Sannoh Esq, noted that, “it is far better for all public officials to be at State House receiving honours from the President, rather than answering questions before the High Court”. He reminded the officers about the stiff penalties in the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 as amended in 2019. He said the police should therefore see it as an onus to fight corruption as well as build the image of the force as “a force for good”.
Local Unit Commanders of the Moyamba and Mattru Jong police stations, CSP Chruschev Kargbo and CSP Samuel Kargbo applauded the Commission for such a laudable effort to educate them on the dangers of corruption and corrupt practices. They admonished their officers to work assiduously in promoting the image of the force.
