The word Police comes from the Latin language Politia meaning civil administration and it was derive from the ancient Greek word Polis. Hence, the different languages in the world have adopted different pronunciations and spelling, but all are centered round the word Polis.
Police are part of the Executive arms of governments and they are agents empowered to enforce the law without bias and to ensure public and social order through the legitimized use of force.
France was the first country to establish a police force in 1667 under King Louis XIV, although modern police usually trace their origins to the 1800 establishment of the Marine police in London.
Law enforcement however constitutes only part of policing activity. Policing has included an array of activities in different situations, but the predominant ones are concerned with the preservation of order. In some societies, in the late 18th century and early 19th century, these developed within the context of maintaining the class system and the protection of private property.
Law enforcement in Ancient China was carried out by Prefects. The notion of a prefect in China has existed for thousands of years. The prefecture system developed in both the Chu and Jin kingdoms of the spring and autumn period. In Jin, dozens of prefects were spread across the state, each having limited authority and employment period.
In Ancient China, prefects were government officials appointed by local magistrates, who in turn were appointed by the head of state, usually the emperor of the dynasty. The prefects oversaw the civil administration of their Prefecture, or jurisdiction.
Prefects usually reported to the local magistrate, just as modern police report to judges. Under each prefect were sub prefects who helped collectively with law enforcement of the area. Some prefects were responsible for handling investigations, much like modern police detectives.
Eventually the concept of the prefecture system would spread to other cultures such as Korea and Japan. Law enforcement in Ancient China was also relatively progressive, allowing for female prefects.
Well in Sierra Leone, the police force under colonial rule worked very hard according to history and they were well disciplined and perform their duties without bias. This went on until Independence when the seat of government was handed over to us.
The police were very trusted by the populace until the late sixties when the face of the police went through its first change. The late Siaka Stevens, who wanted to protect himself in power, politicized the police force; hence, the once respected and disciplined force became a tool of the political party.
The police started doing all the dirty works for the ruling party and they were very instrumental in establishing the One Party system in the country. The most feared arm of the police that was created under the APC regime to date was the Internal Security Division (ISU). They were armed and very dangerous as the people of Sierra Leone were afraid of them up till today.
The once respected and discipline police were now disliked by majority of Sierra Leoneans as the freedom of speech, gathering and the press were lost. Journalists were systematically harassed and beaten, the Opposition parties were shut down and some of these politicians were forced to join the APC, some went to jail, some killed and others fled the country for their lives.
The name of the ISU was changed to Special Security Division (SSD), the reason for the change I cannot tell, but when the name was changed, they became worse and the citizens refer to them as ‘Siaka Stevens Dogs’.
They continued all the nasty and dirty works of the APC that the poor Sierra Leoneans were living in fear. They were alleged to be part of armed robbery in the country, disappearance of certain people and the fear of foreigners and citizens alike.
When the rebel incursion started, some of the reports from the Revolutionary United Force (RUF) cited the undue advantages the police and military on innocent people and these forces members were targeted by the RUF.
In January 6, 2000, when the rebels entered Freetown they killed many police officers because they alleged that the undue advantage and their past deeds is what they are paying for.
Law and order the police is expected to keep is far from being the symbiosis it is often made out to be. This is particularly true where the state exhibit an alien and autocratic nature which deeply affects the character of the police.
After the peace process, the Commonwealth decided to restructure the police force and give it a new face. They were retrained with more facilities and they were taught to protect lives and properties, to be unbiased in discharging their duties and not the other way round.
The SSD once more had to be restructured with a new name given to them. Hence, their new name up till today is Operational Support Division (OSD). The SLPP in power who were the first political party to rule Sierra Leone after independence doesn’t know how to use the police to stay in power or maybe they believe the police force should protect lives and properties and not a political party.
The police force up till 2007 were referred to as a ‘force for good’. Millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money from Commonwealth countries were spent on the police force to give them a face lift. At least during that period, Sierra Leoneans saw some signs of change and they had some trust on the police force.
During the SLPP rule, the police were either starved from performing their old habits or they were just pretending to be dogs when they were really leopards. Come September 2007 when the APC regain control of the state, then we knew that really these police force that was referred to as a force for good was indeed wrong.
Every bad or negative event that took place had some police flavor. Several journalists were beaten all over the country, armed robbery was on the increase, rape, and torture and loss of exhibit in court cases were on the increase. The taxpayers’ money from the Commonwealth countries became a waist as the force for good became the ‘force for evil’.
Sierra Leoneans once more began living in fear and the Opposition became a target with four attacks that all has police flavor. It was a smart move by IMATT to take control of the huge quantity of cocaine that was seized last year, because if it was in the custody of the police all would have disappeared. It has happened before; many of the cocaine caught at the Lungi Airport were either taken to court once or never presented as exhibit.
As the president has instituted Military Aid to Civil Power (MAC P), it is clear sign that the police have failed and the leadership should resign or else continue to face embarrassment, if he is the kind of person who understands such.
Armed robbery is now on the increase with alleged police connivance. The Inspector General in a newspaper report has said the police force has APC, SLPP and PMDC supporters. Should the IG make such statement? Do we need a political police force? Do we need robbers in the police force?
During the era of Keith Biddle, Traffic Police find it difficult to take bribe as they had to use the boys changing coins on the streets, because if caught they would be sacked, but now they take bribes openly on the streets for all to see. This is the police force we have now.
It has been alleged that most of the top brass of the police force are stinkingly rich with fleets of cars and houses. Police officers in the CID and Special Branch too are very rich living extravagant life. Check their salaries and see if their standard of living is commensurate with their salaries.
Once more the police have the kind of government they want or the government that makes use of them. Instead of them providing security for us the citizens, we have become their targets during the day as well as night.
Policing is crucial to how we experience the freedoms of democracy and determines to a large degree, the levels of economic investment we will enjoy. However, many of us are faced with a wide choice of public and private, legal and illegal, effective and ineffective policing since 2007. The police force has been variously described as corrupt, oppressive and subservient to the whims and caprices of the government.
As we continue to live in fear, we hope that the government will see reason to make it clear to us that the police is not their for the APC party but to protect lives and properties and to allow us to exercise our freedoms in order for us to be responsible to the state.
By Austin Thomas