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The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) is the national police force of the Republic of Sierra Leone. It is primarily responsible for
law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...
and crime investigation throughout Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Police is under the jurisdiction of the Sierra Leone Ministry of Internal Affairs, a cabinet ministry in the Government of Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Police is headed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), who is appointed by the President of Sierra Leone and confirmed by the Sierra Leone Parliament. The president has the constitutional authority to fire the Inspector General of Police at any time. The current Inspector General of the Sierra Leone Police is William Fayia Sellu who was appointed by president Julius Madda Bio on 27 July 2022 to replace Ambrose Sovula, who had been in the post since March 2020. The Sierra Leone Police was established by the British colony in 1894 and is one of the oldest police forces in
West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
.


Mission

The key missions of the Sierra Leone Police include preventing crime, protecting life and
property Property is a system of rights that gives people legal control of valuable things, and also refers to the valuable things themselves. Depending on the nature of the property, an owner of property may have the right to consume, alter, share, re ...
, detecting and prosecuting offenders, maintaining
public order Public order may refer to * Public security: the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger or property damage * Public order policing: police maintenance of order ...
, ensuring safety and security, enhancing access to justice, and ensuring police primacy for internal security and safety.


History

The Colony of Freetown was set up in 1808 as a settlement for freed slaves, with a police force whose authority was restricted solely to the city limits of the colony itself. By 1889 colonial authority had been extended to the provinces. Police authority was also extended to these areas and performed largely
paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...
duties as opposed to the civil police back in the colony. The force at this point became known as the West African Frontier Force. A Royal Gazette of October 1894 established the Sierra Leone Police Force. Following independence in April 1961, the Sierra Leone Parliament passed the Police Act of 1964 to consolidate and amend the law relating to the organization, discipline, powers and duties of the Sierra Leone Police. Efforts were made during the initial post-conflict police reform process to increase the number of women in the police. However, during visits, it was found that newly recruited women police officers were sometimes expected to do little more than cook lunch for their male colleagues.


Organisation

The Sierra Leone Police is headed by The
Inspector General of Police An inspector-general of police is a senior police officer in the police force or police service of several nations. The rank usually refers to the head of a large regional command within a police service, and in many countries refers to the most ...
(IG), the professional head of the Sierra Leone Police forces who is appointed by the President of Sierra Leone, however in terms defining the line of authority, the IG is accountable to the Minister of Internal Affairs first (also appointed by the President). The current Inspector General is Ambrose Sovula. The Deputy Inspector General of Police is Elizabeth Turay. At the national command level, There are 16 Assistant Inspector Generals of Police (AIG) with responsibility for Operations, Human Resources; Training; Medical Services; Crime Services; Support Services; Professional Standards; Corporate Affairs; Peacekeeping; Gender Affairs; Community Affairs; Traffic Management; Intelligence; Presidential Guard; Infrastructure and the Operational Support Division (OSD), (the armed wing of the SLP). Regional commanders known as Regpols who are also AIGs carry regional responsibilities for the Freetown West Area, Freetown East Area, North East Area, North West Area, Southern Province and Eastern Province. All of these AIGs assist the IGP and the DIG in the running of the day-to-day affairs of the SLP. This is done through a joined up leadership approach practicalised into an Executive Management Board, the highest policy making body in the organisation which meets once every week under the chairmanship of the IGP.


Working in partnership

The International Security Advisory Team (ISAT) based in Freetown (UK advisers to the Police, Military and Government of Sierra Leone) currently has two UK Police Officers working with the SLP in order to work together to enhance professionalism within the Sierra Leone Police, to improve Public Safety and build Community Confidence. An 18-month programme delivering officer safety training, public order command training at Gold, Silver and Bronze level, and tactical public order training, was completed and the Sierras Leone Police are now able to continue training themselves in these skills and have so far trained a further 1000 officers without external assistance. (March 2018)
Community policing Community policing is a philosophy and organizational strategy whereby law enforcement cooperates with community groups and citizens in producing safety and security. The theory underlying community policing is that it makes citizens more likely t ...
projects are being rolled out across Sierra Leone, having had a proof of concept in Kambia District, it was extended to Kailahun in the Eastern region, this has been running for a year and has proved very successful. Due to this Kenema also benefitted from the program and it is anticipated it will be country wide within the next 2 years. Leadership training is now underway across the middle management including the National Decision Model, Threat and Risk assessments and Human Rights issue. ISAT sponsored three female officers to undergo a gender awareness and sensitivity "train the trainer" program and a 2-day conference was hosted to build gender awareness across the security sector. Participants came from Sierra Leone Police, Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, National Fire Force, Correction Services, Office of National Security and Road Safety Authority.


Regions

Each one of Sierra Leone's 12 administrative districts has its own District Police Unit, which is a sub department of each Regional Police Command, whilst there are four administrative regions of Sierra Leone, there are 6 Police Regions. Each one of Sierra Leone's twelve administrative districts is headed by a local unit commander, who are subordinate to the regional police commanders. The capital
Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...
is part of the
Western Area The Western Area or Freetown Peninsula (formerly the Colony of Sierra Leone) is one of five principal divisions of Sierra Leone. It comprises the oldest city and national capital Freetown and its surrounding towns and countryside. It covers an ...
police division but is split into two, each being led by an Assistant Inspector General.


Departments

The Sierra Leone Police is divided into the following departments: * Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is primarily responsible for investigating major crimes * Operational Support Division (OSD) this unit supports the general duties police and is trained to perform high-risk duties including to control
riots A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...
, and violence protest. OSD had an establishment of seven rifle companies, and was described as 'in many ways' he OSD is infantry, like the army It was composed of 3,055 officers in 2007.Albrecht and Paul Jackson, Security System Transformation in Sierra Leone 1997-2007, 139. * Traffic police Unit primarily responsible for enforcing traffic safety and control the movement of traffic in all
highways A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of way. In the United States, it is also used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or ...
and major traffic crossings across Sierra Leone. * Media and Public Relation Unit responsible for the collection and release of police activities to the public and
media Media may refer to: Communication * Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Interactive media, media that is inter ...
. * Legal and Justice Department responsible of prosecuting civil and
criminal In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...
cases to court. * Human Resource Department deals with the welfare, salaries, employments, promotions, benefits and transfers of police officers. * Community Relations Department (CRD) established to build a working relationship between the police and the public. * Complaint Discipline Internal Investigation Department (CDID) They receive confidential complaints from public on police activities, and police misconduct. * Precious Mineral Department responsible of protecting and investigating all act related to the country's mineral resources. They work closely with the Sierra Leone ministry of mines and natural resources. * Interpol Department investigate criminal affairs link to other countries. * Family Support Unit (FSU) handles domestic and family issues.


Police Divisions and Leadership


References


Sources and external links

*http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_200517877.shtml *http://www.awoko.org/2011/07/27/civil-society-celebrates-international-day-of-justice/ *http://www.awoko.org/2011/05/17/kamboi-eagles-defeat-ports-authority-2-1/ *https://web.archive.org/web/20120404142527/http://www.sierraexpressmedia.com/archives/9771 *https://web.archive.org/web/20120324195647/http://www.freetowndailynews.com/north%20-%20Copy%20-7%20-%20Copy.html *http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/printer_200518654.shtml *http://www.thetorchlight.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=986:kambia-police-to-*curb-illegal-crossing-points&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=27 *https://web.archive.org/web/20120404142550/http://www.sierraexpressmedia.com/archives/3258 *http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_200518521.shtml *http://www.awoko.org/2010/05/10/police-deployed-to-s-l-liberia-border-to-avert-security-threat/ *https://archive.today/20120402193128/http://ip-184-168-28-105.ip.secureserver.net/front-page/item/678-big-shakeup-in-the-police-hierarchy *http://news.sl/drwebsite/exec/view.cgi?archive=5&num=9121&printer=1
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{{Authority control Law enforcement in Sierra Leone Government agencies established in 1894 1894 establishments in Sierra Leone