Chinese slaps police officer in Makeni

A Chinese national working for CCECC, a subcontractor of African Minerals, is currently being investigated for assaulting a police officer, Sergeant 2773 Kargbo S. at a place called Kilometre 74, some two miles from Makeni. Known only as Chi, the suspect who works at the Chinese Camp along the road between Makeni and Binkolo, was said to have slapped the police officer at his area of deployment. Sgt. Kargbo said that they were off duty as night guards when they went to the Chinese and asked that they be transported to Makeni. He said that even before he could finish talking the Chinese interrupted and told them that there was no such provision for them and that they should use their meagre salaries to pay their way back. “Suddenly, Chi grabbed my shirt around the neck and slapped me in the face. My colleague intervened and had Chi handcuffed to restrain him from harming me further,” he explained. He added that: “It was during the struggle between Chi and my colleague that I sustained minor bruises but some people around intervened and took us to the Rogbaneh Police Station where we met the Local Unit Commander, Superintendent Gibril Turay”. At the station the LUC apologised to the Chinese and some staff of African Minerals on behalf of the victim police officer and his colleague who handcuffed the Chinese. He scolded the police officers, saying their action to handcuff the Chinese without entering a report was not “professional” and “lacked civility”. He said that “no police officer is permitted to act the way we found Sgt. Koroma S. and his colleague did without recourse to due process. As part of our action to calm the situation as we informed our AIG, I am pleading with you the Chinese to calm down as we investigate the matter.” The media officer at the Rogbaneh police division in Makeni, Sergeant George Momoh, described it as “an isolated incident”, pointing out that the officer involved did not act professionally. Meanwhile, the LUC told this reporter that the issue was being handled internally because “the police officers have been found to have acted beyond their scope, by becoming the judge instead of state policemen”. Many residents of Makeni have scorned the LUC asking why he was so full of apology to the Chinese who slapped one of his men. © Politico 08/10/13