There is no gainsaying that it’s has been a common phenomenon in Sierra Leone where the work of good people are never recognized for all the bad reasons.

But despite their “bad-hat” and envy, the patriotic bird particularly believes, there are still good people in this Republic, who, no matter what they are still genuinely contributing in their little way to national development for which they must be commended.

Of course, there are few bad eggs in every setting, be it in schools, hospitals, courts, homes to name but a few who give bad names to good people for obvious reasons.

In an effort to prove these envious people wrong and to ascertain that there are still good people in this kingdom, Bra Parrot has been following the activities of all the forces in the country particularly the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) and the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF).

These two national security outfits have been insistently accused of many wrongdoings including but not limited to alleged corrupt practices particularly those assigned to court, at check-points, in police stations, traffic division and other places of deployment.

But Bra Parrot being not only wise but a responsible citizen who discerns good from bad or who cannot easily jump into hasty conclusion, has taken a keen look at some of these allegations and accusations.

After all, he has come to the realization that, notwithstanding all of those accusations and allegations, the police and their military counterparts are doing marvelous jobs.

Candidly, police particularly has been branded by citizens of this kingdom as the most corrupt prior to, during and sometime after the eleven years carnage.  But that said, things started to take a positive turn when the British-born Inspector General of Police, Keith Biddle was brought in by late President Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah to restructure the police force. That effort of course yielded dividends starting with downsizing the number to the improvement of their physical appearance among many others.

Coupled with that progress, the police were trained in many areas including criminal investigations, gender and other human rights violations. That eventually led to the establishment of other important departments within the force such as the CDIID, Community Relations Outreach and the Family Support Unit (FSU).

Such impressive developments have arguably changed the negative narrative about the police force hence, gaining them the name “Force for Good.” With the skills and experience they have gained over the years police have be able to handle complex situations leading to crime reduction in the country.

Due to their commitments and experience, they are now participating in peacekeeping missions outside the country which is a commendable feat not only for the force but the country in general.

The importance of police in any country cannot be overemphasized, because without their existence for a day will eventually lead to the collapse of that nation as citizens will be left at the mercy of criminals.

Even though criminal activities are evident in almost every nook and cranny of the country today, but they have been handled professionally by the police, where people are still going about their normal businesses.

The same thing goes to the sister military force. They are also doing marvelous jobs. Quite apart from their constitutional mandate of protecting the state from external aggression such as the eleven (11) years’ war they vigorously pursued to its logical conclusion, they also keep providing support to the police and other areas where and when needed.

As usual, the bird went out to have the views of people on how the police and the military are faring despite their accusations of nonperformance.

There were mixed reactions however, while others commended and expressed support to the police, some did not only lash but out rightly condemn them for not doing much to their expectations.

On the side of the military, those the bird spoke with reflected their minds to olden days they said soldiers were highly admired as it was difficult to see them roaming about in towns without permission. They said that narrative has changed as these officers are now found on the streets of Freetown and other parts of the country sometimes disgracefully asking civilians for transport fare to go to “lie, lie” destinations.

As a result of the bad attitude of some of these military officers, civilians are now illegally in possession of some of their equipment including uniforms and guns which they use to perpetuate havoc on innocent people.

But despite the bad behavior of some of these officers, some people including Bra Parrot believe there are still few decent and good ones who can be trusted because they are meaningfully contributing to national development.

With one accord, those who believe and trusted these both the police and military commended and described them as partners in development.