Police Responds to Daru Officer’s Resignation Letter, Questions Its Authenticity
Sahid Bangura The Sierra Leone Police has questioned the authenticity of a resignation letter circulating on social media, purportedly written by Constable Lucinda N. Dick, who claimed she had not been promoted in 23 years of service.
ASP Mohamed Bobson Senu, Head of Media at Police Headquarters in Freetown, said Constable Dick remained a serving police officer, arguing that the personal identification number cited in the letter did not exist in the police records.
The letter, which reportedly originated from the Daru Police Station in eastern Sierra Leone, cited the officer’s prolonged lack of promotion and alleged ridicule from colleagues as reasons for her decision to leave the force.
In the letter, Dick expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve the country, saying her time in the police had taught her discipline, professionalism and public service. She also requested the approval of her resignation and the processing of her entitlements and discharge documents, while indicating her readiness to hand over police property in her possession.
Responding to the allegations, ASP Senu said promotion within the police force was not determined solely by length of service but by established criteria, including conduct, diligence, effectiveness and productivity.
He explained that supervisors complete appraisal forms when promotions are due, using their assessments to recommend officers who have demonstrated satisfactory performance and delivered results in their assigned duties.
According to Senu, promotion recommendations depend significantly on an officer’s immediate supervisor, who evaluates performance and professional conduct. He added that officers who meet the required standards are considered for promotion.
Senu also cited his own experience, saying colleagues from his batch had been promoted twice while he had not received similar advancement, to illustrate that years of service alone did not guarantee promotion.
Addressing Dick’s specific case, he said the Local Unit Commander in Daru had told him that the officer was not performing her duties and refused to follow instructions, making it difficult to recommend her for promotion.
Dick, however, offered a different account of her experience in the force. Speaking to *Politico*, she alleged that colleagues routinely dismissed her contributions during meetings and mocked her over her long service without promotion.
She maintained that she had formally submitted her resignation letter to her superior and subsequently travelled to the Kenema Police Division on October 8, 2026, where she deposited three copies of the letter for the Human Resource Officer and the Local Unit Commander.
The dispute has raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the officer’s reported resignation, her promotion history and the police’s position that she remains in service.
While Police Headquarters has challenged the letter’s authenticity based on the identification number cited, Dick maintains that she submitted her resignation through the appropriate channels.