Police Want More Budgetary Allocation

The Sierra Leone Police and National Fire Force, among other Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as part of the ongoing Fy2024 bilateral Budget discussions at the Ministry of Finance has presented their strategic objectives and budget for the year 2024 and achievement for 2022 and half of 2023.

Presenting for the Sierra Leone Police, the Chief Superintendent Allieu Turay, who also doubles as the Head of Procurement, presented over Nle501 million for FY 2024. He further stated that the core mandates of the police are to protect lives and properties, maintain law and order, preserve public tranquility, prevent and detect crimes, prosecute offenders and enforce rules and regulations by the constitution to uphold the human rights of citizens.

Supp. Turay highlighted several achievements in the year under review, including the reconstruction of the Kamakwie Police Divisional Headquarters and barracks building burnt down during the August 10th2022 protest, the establishment of the Sierra Leone Police Radio Station 91.0FM at Kingtom Police barracks, De-escalating of several protests riots across various parts of the country that leads to the formation of quick response group(QRG) based at Jui, OSD/HQ Freetown East, West and the provincial headquarters.

He also informs the panel of various capacity-building programmes for their officers like study leave (449), Grant in Aid (SLG) 191, Strategic Leadership and command course at the National Institute of Police Studies in Abuja and international training programmes.

For the year 2024, Supp. Turay stated that the police intend to acquire new and overhaul the old Communication Network nationwide, complete the Aberdeen Divisional Police Headquarters, purchase 35 police patrol vehicles, recruit 1,000 police personnel and procure 20 Presidential Escort Motorbikes.

In the area challenges, he mentioned inadequate patrol vehicles, including special traffic operation vehicles and motorcycles, inadequate communication equipment, increased demand for policing services with emerging communities and temporary security-related issues, low technical and scientific support in the area of forensic science and inadequate barracks accommodation for personnel across the country among others.

After the session ended with questions and answers, the budget committee stakeholders praised the institution’s robust actions in combating crime rates and considered their proposal.

Similarly, the Chief Fire Officer, Ahmed A. Kamanda-Bongauy, describe the current status of the fire service as embryonic, stating that they only have 427 dedicated staff with approximately 19 fire engines across the country.

In the area of previous activities and achievements, the Chief fire Officer highlighted several completed and ongoing projects, like the construction of a fire station in Kabala, Pujehun, Kailahun and Western Area that is completed awaiting commissioning, the procurement of two out of five new fire engines, recruitment of Eighty-Five personnel out of Two hundred personnel and the process of enacting a fire safety bill.

From July 2022 to June 2023, Kamada-Bongauy stated that they responded to 374 fire incidents across the country, with the western area recording the highest (233).

Therefore, to further their work, they are requesting to build more fire stations, procure more fire engines with communications systems, enact the safety bill and recruit more personnel. Their budget proposal for 2024 is Nle 12,808,3090.