By sulaiman.sesay@awokonewspaper.sl
Freetown, SIERRA LEONE – With support from the United States Embassy in Sierra Leone, 20 police personnel have on Monday 9th January 2023, commenced specific focus group training.
The training is being held at the Peacekeeping and Law Enforcement Academy and is expected to end on the 20th of January 2023.
This disclosure was made after Jean-Marc Barattolo, a Senior Police Advisor and team from the Strategic Capacity Group (SCG) American Embassy in Sierra Leone, engaged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), William Fayia Sellu ahead of the commencement of the training which is germane to the June 2023 Multitier Elections.
Addressing the SCG team, IGP Sellu remarked that President Bio’s Government is pleased with the support from the American Government towards capacity building of the SLP for the 2023 electioneering period.
“I have discussed the elections Training Manual and the last Training Of Trainers (TOT) with both Vice President Juldeh Jalloh and His Excellency, President Bio and they were both pleased by it,” IGP disclosed.
The IGP noted that election comes with various tasks, including public order management and investigations.
The Police Chief further remarked that the capacity building is timely, especially when personnel was doubled promoted in the last promotion.
Among other things, Marc Barattolo disclosed that the meeting with the IGP was also a way to inform him of another TOT which he dubbed as Specific Focus Group Training (SFGT) aimed at capacity building of the SLP for the 2023 general elections.
In his overview of training, Director of Training, Sierra Leone Police (SLP) Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Sylvester N. Koroma explained that it is part of the support provided by the American Government to countries winding up to elections, adding that the scheduled training is part of that support.
“With a contract from the US Embassy, the SCG which is an expert body in various training, collaborated with us and we developed a standardized elections Training Manual that took into consideration best practices across the globe,” AIG Koroma revealed.
He recalled that the last time the group visited the leadership of the SLP, they validated the manual and rolled out the first training of master trainers for 12 personnel adding that the second was the training of trainers, which benefitted 72 personnel.
The SFTG he said is also a TOT in areas including media, investigations, and public order management among others.
These training, AIG Koroma assured are geared towards a holistic approach taken to ensure that the June 2023 elections are conducted in a peaceful and violence-free atmosphere, adding that they are doing all their best to heighten their level of professionalism.
He concluded that the training of a larger number which will include other sister forces will be done in March this year. SKS/10/1/2023