The 149 new Road Safety Corps will help bolster the strength of road safety corps and help ameliorate the many road safety challenges in the country.
The Passing-Out-Parade held at the Police Peacekeeping and Law Enforcement Academy at Hastings in Freetown saw many state dignitaries and distinguished personalities attending the ceremony.
Saturday’s graduation was addressed by the Minister of Transport and Aviation, Kabineh Kallon. He admonished the new Traffic Corps to always abide by the law and to also ensure that they do not involve in corruption. He further advised them to ensure that they teach other people about traffic rules and regulations.
link) 0pt 0in”>Prior to the passing out, these newly recruited corps underwent eight weeks of intensive training at the Sierra Leone Peacekeeping & Law Enforcement Academy (SILEA) in Hastings before going for another three weeks training on the streets to know the traffic rules.
During the course of their stay, trainings were offered such as Introduction to Law, Traffic Rules and Regulations and many other essential courses that are relevant to the operations of the officers.
In his statement, the Minister of Transport and Aviation, Kabineh Kallon said that the New Direction’s vision is to make the roads of Sierra Leone among the safest in Africa by improving road safety management through empowering and strengthening the lead road safety agency.
He said that, his government is committed to reducing death and disability due to road traffic crashes.
Because the political will has been established to overcome the considerable road safety challenges in the country, the Executive Director of SLRSA, Panda-Noah said that Sierra Leone is poised to be the safest place in Africa for road users by reducing 50% of road fatalities by 2020.
The Head of Media of the Sierra Leone Police, Superintendent Brima Kamara admonished the recruits to implement what they have been taught during the training at the Police Peacekeeping Mission Academy. He called on them to work and do the right thing, always for that will increase public confidence and morale of the SLRSA.
The new Road Safety Corps are the first batch of officers SLRSA has certified under the New Direction led Administration in order to provide effective traffic management system across the country.
Four of the new recruits were awarded certificates for their excellent performance during the training and nineteen women were among.