President Bio pointed out that the IPCB needed the required statutory instrument that can make their work more meaningful, confirming that the legal instrument will be looked into.
He mentioned that the committee will soon be reinstituted to ensure the Independent Police Complaints Board start work again.
Handing over the report the secretary of Independent Police Complaints Board Emerlin George stated that IPCB has started operation in Bo and Kenema as a means of increasing access to the IPCB, she further disclosed that in 2019 the IPCB will open in Port Loko district.
She said United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been providing Technical, Financial, and Material support for the board.
She maintained that IPCB has been the bridge builder as a means of maintaining a relationship of trust and confidence between members of the Sierra Leone Police and the community, which according to her is a prerequisite for effective civilian oversight policing and safety.
Emerlin George furthered that the board continues to receive complaints from members of the public and has already concluded the investigation of ten cases and thirteen cases are already ongoing
She, however, highlight challenges that have been preventing them to deliver on their mandate, key among are the issues of staffing and logistics.
She disclosed that the institution is run by just twelve staff, adding that they have requested to recruit but it has not been approved. She reiterated that the issue of staffing has hindered their progress.
Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Internal Affairs the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Lahai Lawrence Leema stated that his ministry is at the moment charged with the responsibility to oversee the work of the IPCB since the committee was dissolved in June this year. He promised that they will continue to provide the required leadership until the committee is reinstituted.
The IPCB is the central component of the government of Sierra Leone’s Police accountability structure, and it was established in 2013. The IPCB is a non-departmental public body established under section 158 of the constitution of Sierra Leone, 1991(Act No. 6 of 1991).
Their role is to receive and investigate complaints of a serious nature to increase the public’s confidence in policing.
