By Nasratu Kargbo
The Inspector General of Police, William Fayia Sellu has called for tolerance between the media and the police. He made the statement on the 28th of March 2023 at the closing session of a two-day training held for police officers and journalists.
He advised both parties to tolerate each other and work for the development and interest of the nation.
Directly addressing the Police officers, he called on them to ensure they have a cordial relationship with the media.
He told the officers to explain and talk cordially to journalists whenever they approach them, noting that police officers should not deprive journalists of accessing information when it is available, as they have to inform the public.
He asked mostly senior police officers to tell their juniors about that since they are the ones that interact with the journalists.
The Police chief said that the training is a platform for the participants to understand each other’s roles and responsibilities, to avoid confrontation and challenges whilst in the execution of their duties in the interest of the nation.
He advised that each party should tolerate the other, and wished to see a sustainable relationship between the two professions. “Let us see ourselves as partners in development, we are not enemies”, he said.
Sellu promised that similar training will continue, revealing that one will happen before the June elections.
He encouraged the journalists to practice what they’ve learned whilst in the execution of their jobs as sometimes they overstep their bounds.
President of the Sierra Association of Journalists (SLAJ) Ahmed Sahid Nasralla spoke on the safety of journalists during the election and explained how participants from the two professions have gained knowledge and understanding of each other’s duties, which they should put into practice during the forthcoming elections.
He recalled how before now the relationship between the two can be compared to that of a cat and a mouse, highlighting that cases of assault were frequently reported but that there has been a massive improvement.
Nasralla stated that some of the suggestions made by participants as to how they want to coexist whilst working will be documented and shared with all.
Chairman of the Right to Access Information Commission Dr.Ibrahim Seaga Shaw spoke on the relevance of the training, stating that the partnership between the journalists and police is a good one.
Dr. Shaw as a facilitator at the training highlighted information that is exempted, and that cannot be made available to journalists or members of the public.
He also noted that for information that is not exempted but public officers refuse to provide, there are processes one has to go through to let the public officers comply.
He encouraged the two institutions to involve in more training.
Some of the topics taught were fake news, misinformation, disinformation, the hierarchy of the SLP, the flow of communication at the SLP, areas of the constitution, and the Right to Access Information Act.
The programme climaxed with the award of certificates to the participants at training that was organised by the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists.Copyright © 2023 Politico (29/03/23)
