By Ragan M. Conteh
Police in Sierra Leone have reported that a total of 164 assault cases on police were reported in 2022 and 2023.
According to report, 70 cases of this offence were reported in 2023 as compared to 94 cases in 2022 both totaling 164.
The report further stated that assault is a criminal offence and assaulting a police officer whilst performing his lawful duty is deemed as an aggravated assault and therefore, such cases are treated more seriously by the country’s courts.
The police said the reported cases of civilian assaults on police are higher in the western area than in the provinces.
Comparatively, the police said, there was a decrease in the number of cases reported in 2023.
In 2022, they had 94 cases of this nature, adding that, the rate at which police officers were assaulted declined a bit, in 2023.
Also, they said, murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention, that is, according to a specific jurisdiction as defined by the laws.
The report lamented that 62 cases of murder were reported in Freetown-west, followed by eastern region with 30 cases, while north-east had 26 cases.
North-west recorded the least murder cases with 6 cases only.