Without the police personnel even complaining, the Police Post situated in Gorahun, the Chiefdom Headquarter of Tunkia in Kenema District provides not only a poor working environment for Police personnel deployed in that part of the country, but is equally a death-trap.
This was an eye-sore when this reporter visited the town in the South-Eastern part of Kenema in the Eastern Province on an expedition, and found out that the function of police officers in that territory is impeded by the lack of basic operational tools such as paper and pen, tables and chairs, and the dilapidated, shabby and unofficial structure they are operating in.
The town is equally on the High Way, approximately forty miles to Gendema, the border town between Sierra Leone and Liberia, making the post one of the strategic stop-points for travelers and foreigners coming into the country.
Two of the police officers this reporter spoke to said that they have inhabited the old structure for almost a year without any improvement measures taken to facilitate their activities. One out of the shabby rooms in the building is used by the officers to do investigations and perform other functions.
The officers further expressed dissatisfaction on the lack of mobility to cover their operational zones, especially surrounding villages where crime rate is prevalent. During the visit of this reporter couple of weeks ago, the officers were investigating a case on sexual -based violence which had to do with harboring of a sixteen year old girl. The officers could not promptly start the investigation because of logistical constraints and lack of mobility to transfer the matter to Kenema for further procedures.
By Poindexter Sama
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