Mohamed Bowen Freeman has said he was trained in 2019 by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as the National and CAF Safety and Security Officer, and has covered two CAF matches.
He said he has been working as a security officer since 1989, and having gone through the ranks, resigned as an Inspector in 2007.
Freeman went further to say that he started working as Head of Security for the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) in 2015, adding that he applied for the position of CAF Safety and Security Officer in 2018.
For stadium safety and security, he said one should focus on coordinating it within the stadium or arena, reviewing safety management and how it ensures that the event takes place in a safe, secure and welcoming environment.
“We will consider the role of individuals, partners and stakeholders, and how responsibilities inside the venue can have an impact on developments outside,” he added.
He said in the event of a major safety and security incident, the Venue Safety and Security Officer on behalf of the event organiser, transfers in written command the responsibilities of the operation over to the police or other emergency service provider depending on the character of the incident.
He disclosed that the Safety and Security Officer should check all physical infrastructure and technical installations and systems, drawing upon external and specialist technical advice where needed.
Such systems are often categorised as serving a primarily generic (multi-purpose) safety and security function, he said.
General (multi-purpose) infrastructure comprises key issues such as Control Room, CCTV, Access Control System and Signage, while system infrastructure includes turnstiles, fences and walls, gates screens and barriers.
General management arrangements like staff recruitment and retention, staff training and development risk management and planned preventive maintenance and reactive repairs also fall under the officer’s purview.