By: Leila B. Gbati
County and Zone Commanders of the Liberia National Police including officers of the Liberia Immigration Service, Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency and the Liberia National Fire Service have begun a two-day training in Human rights and policing in electoral Context.
The joint security training being conducted by the LNP is intended to sensitize law enforcers on ways to prevent violence in the elections.
The training is from August 3-4 2023, held at the Liberia National Police Academy in Paynesville.
In a welcome statement at the official opening of the training, the Deputy Police Commissioner of Training and Manpower Development at the Police Academy, Col. Jartu Golafalaywelcomed all of the participants at the Police Academy that is responsible for molding the minds of law enforcement officers.
Col. Golafalay told the participants that they are aware of the crucial role they have to play when it comes to security in the country.
She indicated that their statutory mandate is to protect lives and property that is why the two days training is about.
Col. Golafalay assured the officers that their participation in the training will not be a waste of time as such they should take advantage of what will be taught so that they can make the environment peaceful as their role in the elections cannot be overly emphasized.
“The entire environment will be created by the security arena as the country approach a crucial time. I want you to please be discipline and go through the process so that at the end of the day we can leave legacy that we have taken over security in the country”, she said.
In remark, Cllr. Dempster Brown, Chairperson of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) told the participants that their gathering is to ensure that violence is prevented in the elections.
According to him, they notice that some officers of the LNP are partisan police and taking side with politicians.
He stated that they have people on the field monitoring every aspect of the society.
Cllr. Brown also said that under the Executive Act that established the LNP mandates that officers be neutral.
“Police are to protect lives and not to participate in politics. How are you going to prevent violence when you are partisan police”, he mentioned.
The INCHR Boss said it is their responsibility as human right commission in Liberia to ensure that things are put into place.
“The point is you must speak the truth and nothing but the truth. As we are going through this preventing violence elections training the INCHR have more to say for the Liberian people to hear us because we don’t want anybody to died here again so as you leave from here there will lot of things out there but your responsibility is to make sure that the citizens are safe. We from the Human Rights Commission believe in the respect for the rule of law is the gateway for democracy, peace and stability can you sustain peace in the absence of the respect for the rule of law”, he cautioned law enforcers.
For his part, the country representative of the Office of High Commission for Human Rights, Christian Mukasa in remarks said that his office is glad to be part of the training.
Mr. Mukasa thank the LNP for organizing the training emphasizing that this is the it is timely as the country goes to elections on October 10.
He told participants to take the training serious after going through all of the context on the upcoming election so that when they go back to their respective counties they can put that into use.
He noted that commanders had lot of responsibility which come with lot of weight because officers, junior officers follow what the commander say and if the order the commander give is not necessary to the situation it creates more problems.
“Am sure after this three days of training you will get new skills in term of human rights and be refreshed on community policing and you will have the opportunity to have senior officers here to share experiences and am very sure that you will apply everything to ensure that we have a very peaceful election where human rights are respected including women, people with disabilities who will be part of the process,” he urged participants.
In an official statement on behalf of the Inspector General of Police and Chairman on Election security, Fitzgerald T. M. Blago, Head of LNP Human Resource Division thanked the participants for coming to be a part of the strategy training to prevent and mitigate electoral violence.
He told them that if they should enforce the law they should uphold the law.
“Your output and deportment should resemble a law enforcement officer. Appropriate action will be taken on officers that will carry on any action that is not in line with the police act. You are the leaders that will be leaving so if you play with your leadership post what signal will it give to officers that we’re are going to be leading. Thank you for coming and I wish you well,” he said.
