People of this country would agree with the wise bird that, the performance of the Sierra Leone police under the present Inspector General of Police Mr. William Fayia Sellu has drastically fallen below the expected expectations.
When Mr. William Fayia Sellu was appointed Inspector General of Police by the President of Sierra Leone Dr. Julius Maada Bio, every Sierra Leonean in his or her right frame of mind including the wise Bra Parrot had great expectations that, the police force under the young and dynamic man would be transformed to an enviable level with their old MOKOFAY tricks becoming a thing of the past.
But to the disappointment of the concerned and patient wise bird those old tricks have only alarming increased under his watch.
What has however prompted Bra Parrot to put pen on paper on this ugly issue is that, from the look of things the Inspector General cannot control his men and women any longer in certain areas as police officers have continued to mount illegal check-points at every corner at night to the embarrassment of peaceful citizens.
The peaceful bird has also noticed of late that the attitude of some of his officers are far from been disciplined to say the least, as they don’t know how to talk to members of the public.
As for alleged corruption in the police force is nothing to write home about, especially in the Traffic Division where police officers are seen collecting monies from poda-poda drivers under broad daylight at will.
To bail a suspect from detention is not free even though they very well know it’s free. To these bad police personnel, the word ‘FREE BAIL’ is just a lip service because they will never allow it work.
It is no secret that Traffic Police are collecting booking fee from drivers on a daily basis beginning from the very Eastern Police up to Calaba Town and though out the provinces.
This according to information, even the booking fee being collected is no longer news to the public as senior police officers are very much aware of the bad game but never dare talk about it because of the involvement.
For the illegal check points erected at night is just an additional source of making money for them.
The patient bird will continue to expose this nefarious attitude because he has been a victim severally at Fourah Bay Road where one of these illegal check points is erected at Cottage hospital and has been asked to bail himself in those occasions.
In his quiet visit to the Ross Road courts few days ago, Bra Parrot was disappointed to see police officers asking suspects to pay money before they are released even when the Judge had freed them.
At night, these bad police officers also harassed peaceful citizens, some are arrested unnecessary and requested to pay before their release and a lot of other ugly things are carrying out by some of these police officers which are going unpunished.
The wise bird has noticed that, the police force of today is just a ‘money making force’ that is more the reason every Jack and Jill are rushing to be recruited because they have realized that it is the only public organ where someone can become rich overnight without much effort.
Bra Parrot could recall under the British born Inspector General of Police, Keith Biddle the amount of discipline and respect instilled in the police force which has died a natural death.
To be candid, the attitude of the police these days has made even the most peaceful bird to have little or no respect for some of them.
Bra Parrot therefore wants to admonish the hierarchy of the police not to lose sight of these petty issues as they have the potential to degenerate into bigger problem in future.
The wise bird is therefore advising all those bad officers who are embedded in the habit of collecting bribes and booking fee to stop with immediate effect.
They should know that, money is not everything in life, so they should learn to protect their integrity and the good image of the organization they are serving.