Legal Counsel at Sierra Leone’s Law Reform Commission, Andrew Johnson has admonished citizens of police brutality to sue them for action.

“If a police officer manhandles somebody, he is on his own,” the lawyer said during a TV interview on AYV.

He added that victims of police violence have the right to sue the said police officer for their action.

“He could be dismissed because the Police Discipline Regulation of 2001 is very clear that if you have been convicted by the general court, you would also lose your job,” he said.

The Legal Counsel said that they hope that some of these cases could be tested in court and assess their effectiveness.

There have been concerns from some Sierra Leoneans that police in the country have been perpetrators of violence and while these cases are there the avenue to seek redress for most victims are unavailable.

Some of these victims of police violence include journalists, drivers and in some cases ordinary Sierra Leoneans finding their daily bread in these harsh economic realities.

In August this year, social media was left awash with news of a police officer who was accused of gender-based violence in Karene District in northern Sierra Leone. Although the officer in question was dismissed after investigation, some believe that most of these cases of violence by police are swept under the carpet.