By Madi Jobarteh
The Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice wishes to congratulate the Inspector General of Police Seedy Muctarr Touray and all the men and women of the Gambia Police Force on winning the coveted Best National Police of West Africa 2023/24 Award at the Africa Security Watch Awards 2024 in Doha, Qatar. Being one of the most miniature police services in the region, coming out on top deserves commendation and celebration. The award is a substantial moral and reputational boost for the GPF and the good image of the Gambia.
Therefore, we wish to take advantage of this award to encourage the IGP and his officers further to receive the achievement with a deep sense of responsibility, reflection, and enhanced commitment to the excellent performance of their duties by the law. We wish that the IGP will take this award as a personal challenge and commit even more to expediting police reforms to effectively transform the police into an institution that a democratic republic deserves.
We urge the IGP to conduct a thorough and impartial review of his institution to identify weaknesses and challenges and transform them into strengths and opportunities. While we acknowledge the budgetary, administrative, and political challenges confronting the GPF, it is also true that there is immense expertise and experience both within and without which to tap into transforming the police into a formidable institution under his watch.
In light of this Award, therefore, we wish to provide a few observations and recommendations to the IGP Seedy Muctarr for his consideration:
1. Our first observation and recommendation to the IGP is to consider the issue of public trust and confidence. No police service can effectively perform its functions when it lacks or has minimal public trust and confidence in the institution. For decades, the Gambia Police Force has suffered mistrust from the public because of corruption, abuse, inefficiency, and politicization of its functions. Hence, this is the time for IGP Touray to look into the relationship with the public to cultivate a more open and trustworthy relationship.
2. While indeed efforts toward this end can be recognized, primarily through its community policy program and effective communications drives through its public relations office, the IGP should also look into the image and conduct of police officers both at police stations and in the community. The verbal comportment, physical appearance, the general conduct of police officers, and the management of police stations matter immensely in building public trust and confidence. As a public institution of repute, police officers and stations must always appear professional, neat, respectful, and efficient.
3. The IGP should look into the issue of police checkpoints. The culture of mounting police checkpoints across the country has become a significant liability to citizens and businesses, with no tangible benefit to the police in combating crime. The frustrations firms and people on the move face at these checkpoints only serve to erode public trust and appreciation of the police. We, therefore, recommend that the IGP remove checkpoints altogether and instead adopt clever policing methods using modern gadgets, techniques, and strategies. It is undemocratic to mount permanent checkpoints across the country that are said to be democratic, stable, and peaceful.
4. Another area of great concern to us is the issue of public assemblies and how the IGP responds to them. The police should not become an obstacle to citizens’ right to protest. Citizens have a right to hold public institutions, businesses, and other entities accountable and express issues and concerns that are dear to them through peaceful protests or demonstrations. The recent misconduct by officers at the UTG student protest and the attempt to deny the people of Sukuta and activists the right to protest at Salagi Forest are among a few cases in which the police overstep their bounds. The IGP must ensure that the police are always available to enable people to protest and not to seek to obstruct them.
5. This also means the IGP must be willing to permit citizens to protest or assemble or go about their activities unfettered. For example, the recent denial of a permit to the UDP to go on a country tour because of the ongoing presidential tour is unjustifiable. The GPF can simultaneously handle the presidential, UDP, or any other party tour without challenges. In this regard, denying permits or imposing unreasonable conditions by confining protests to uninhabited places or to short distances or timeframe is insincere and intended only to stifle the right to freedom of assembly, which the Constitution guarantees.
6. We urge the IGP to avoid unlawful arrests, detention, and imposing trumped-up charges on citizens. Since 2017, several citizens have been ‘invited’ to police stations or arrested, detained, and charged with sedition, false information, unlawful assembly, or incitement to violence for merely expressing their opinions about the Government or the President. After the arrests, the police release them on bail or charge them when there is no case to take to court. Several people – journalists, activists, politicians, and ordinary citizens- are arrested, yet most of them have never been brought to court. In some cases, the police would seize their phones and refuse to give them back. These actions are tantamount to abuse of power, violation of the Constitution, and abuse of human rights, which do not make the police enjoy favorable public perception and cooperation.
7. Finally, in light of our raised issues, the IGP must ensure the police are law-abiding. Since 2017, several court rulings have been against the IGP for unlawful arrests and detention. The latest case involves journalist Pa Modou Bojang, awarded D15 million dalasi for damages. Before that, there was the case of comedian Borra Sisawo and the case of Neneh Freda Gomez, and Lamin Sey, to mention a few. In these cases, the courts imposed hefty fines on the IGP to pay these people, which he has refused to comply with until today. The IGP must know that failing to comply with a court ruling is contempt of court, which is a serious crime.
The issues and concerns raised here are just the tip of the iceberg, and the IGP must take a closer look at his institution. If this award is to mean anything, the police must be seen as law-abiding to cultivate and enjoy complete public trust and confidence. The police must do their job efficiently and professionally. Therefore, we urge the IGP not to see this award as any award. Instead, he must consider the award challenging to ensure better police service.
While we recognize the immense challenges confronting the police, we urge the IGP to expedite and strengthen the process of true transformation. Most Gambians perceive the police as corrupt, inefficient, and under government officials’ influence and control, including the President. This negative public perception does not augur well for the police, hence the urgent need to reform the police to make the Gambia Police Office a professional, apolitical, efficient, and law-abiding institution serving all Gambians equally with honesty, diligence, and respect.
To achieve this objective, EFSCRJ hereby offers to provide human rights education and training to the Gambia Police Force if requested. We consider the Police a key partner in promoting and protecting human rights to strengthen democracy and build peace in our country.
Once again, we congratulate the Gambia Police Force on winning this prestigious award and challenge them to demonstrate to Gambians that they truly deserve this award.
