Police misconduct on the rise in Liberia

By Moses Owen Browne Jr.

The U. S. government through USAID and other

international partners has spent millions on the

Liberian National Police for training. They were trained to

protect lives, properties, and to ensure sanity and civility amongst the

citizens of Liberia.

However, some officers of the Liberian Police Force refused to obey these

moral principles, and have resulted to violence and unruly behavior,

which is causing havoc for ordinary Liberians.

An officer of the Police Support Unit (PSU), was seen fighting at the

Salayea Immigration checkpoint in Lofa County, when the commercial vehicle

he was riding in was stopped by officers of the Bureau of Immigration and

Naturalization (BIN). According to the Police Support Unit officer on the

scene, the officer got into a fight with the other officers because his

colleagues disrespected him when they stopped to check the commercial

vehicle he was riding in as a passenger.

Contrary to the officer’s claim, BIN Commander Othello Kolliebo said he

suspected suspicious behavior by some passengers onboard the vehicle, and

asked his officers to check the names and other relevant information

before the vehicle can go through the checkpoint. To this officer, this

was a violation, which he wouldn’t accept. As a result, he decided to

create a scene.

 Liberia's security situation is deteriorating by the day, and the recent

announcement that the United Nations’ security force in Liberia (UNMIL)

will eventually leave Liberia by the end of 2012, left most Liberians in a

state of frustration and fear that the Liberian National Police Force may

not be able to adequately carryout that role at this time.

The glaring evidence are the increasing incidence of violent crimes, which also include armed robbery and rape; violent protests over employment disputes by youths and former combatants; and deadly land disputes all around the country, are feeding into the frenzy.

The undisciplined, poorly managed, and ill-equipped Liberian police were

challenged to maintain law and order on several occasions, necessitating

the intervention of United Nations peacekeepers deployed in Liberia since

2003.

Lack of public confidence in the police and the judicial system

perpetuated the culture of impunity and led to mob attacks on alleged

criminals, resulting in several deaths.

Since 2004 the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has vetted and trained over

3,500 police officers, and, together with international donors, has set up

 numerous police stations and barracks.

Nonetheless, Liberian police continue to engage in unprofessional and

sometimes criminal behavior, including extortion, bribery, and armed

robbery; frequent absenteeism; and failure to adequately investigate and

later freeing alleged criminals.

Lack of funding for transportation, communications, and forensic equipment

further undermine the effectiveness of the national police, especially in

rural areas.

The police did, however, show some progress in 2009 in their ability to

detain and arrest alleged suspects and criminals on the run, and the

police leadership has shown an increased willingness to investigate

complaints of misconduct within the force according to the World Report on Liberia 2010.

Police officers must begin to realize that they are generally charged with

 protecting the public, apprehension of criminals, and not harbor

criminals.

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