Mayor Lamina a council policeman
By Septimus Senessie in Kono
Fourteen municipal police officers in Koidu have been certified after the completion of a three-week intensive training conducted by the Sierra Leone Police force on the request of Koidu city council.
Among them were four women and a physically challenged.
Head of police training in the country, Inspector Esther Keintor, commissioned the officers at the community field. She praised the performance of the trainees, whom she said put an exemplary performance especially the women and the only physically challenged.
She said the municipal police were not only trained on how to arrest law breakers but also taught the basics in handling human rights issues, child trafficking, sexual harassments and how to enforce by-laws of the local council.
The police inspector said they were not Sierra Leone police but had the rights as municipal police officers to effect arrest and hand suspects over to the police.
Inspector Keintor advised them to put up the best behaviors as exhibited by them during the three weeks of training exercises and urged them to help the Sierra Leone Police restore and reinforce discipline, orders and security in the city.
Mayor of the Koidu New Sembehun City council, Emerson Lamina, described the process as a fulfillment of one of the commitments he made to president Koroma during the signing of the council’s performance document that would be achieved before his tenure expired.
The mayor expressed disappointment over business institutions and mining companies who evaded payment of taxes last year. He said with the presence of the municipal police, they would improve on revenue mobilization and control clamp down on tax evasion and leakages in the city.
Mayor Lamina told his policemen to be robust in carrying out their duties in the city and warned them to refrain from things that would dent the good training they had received.
(C) Politico 16/01/14
