The Inspector General of the Sierra Leone Police (IGP), William Fayia Sellu admonished police officers in the North-East region to maintain professionalism in the course of their work.

IGP Sellu made this call on Saturday, 4th March 2023 during his visit to the SLP regional headquarter in Makeni for the first time, since his appointment in July last year.

He stated that professionalism is very key and one that has a lot of requirements, citing upholding the code of ethics, and reporting on duty are the golden rules, and they cannot be unconnected to regular reading.

“Police are just like any other profession that meets the changing dynamics and therefore it requires regular reading because as professional police even if you just woke up from the bed you must be able to distinguish between civil and criminal matters and those lacking the competence to distinguish the two have led to a situation of detaining people wrongfully and which I don’t want for it to continue because it is painting a bad image to the profession,” he said.

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IGP Sellu also disclosed that he has been spending forty percent of his time settling damage control at the Parliament and other agencies but with professionalism, police officers will build a healthy relationship with the citizens.

“This job is not forever, I have served as a police officer for three decades rising through the ranks to become an IGP but a few years from now I will retire, same as well to you there will be a time one day when you have to retire that is the moment you need friendly relationships and if you are not professional during the time of your work then that is what makes it difficult for you to enjoy your retirement age,” he noted.

However, he commended the Northeast Region Commander A.I.G Sahr Yomba Senesi and his personnel for professional policing since the commencement of the multi-tier electioneering process including the registration and exhibition process as well as the most recently concluded National Delegates Congress of the main opposition party APC held in Makeni.

“I follow through your policing and read several good reports about how you skillfully police the APC National Delegates Congress that is our constitutional mandate to always ensure internal security and we will always take the lead even when we partner with other organizations,” he said.

“This is not the first multi-tier election we are going to police we have done that over the years and gained local and international accolades, there are still other parties yet to organize delegates congress we will give them the security needed, and soon the issuance of Voter ID cards and campaigns will be declared open, the goal is to maintain professionalism the reason being if you show your identity and the system don’t favor you then you will have yourself to blame when there is a change, we are humans all of us here registered and have where we belong but that should be in your heart the task is to vote quietly and continue with your work,” IGP Sellu cautioned.

He assured them that the visit will not be his last in Makeni and the region will be aided with one hundred personnel out of the one thousand passing-out officers which is also the benchmark for every other region.

“This is not the first time of knowing Makeni, I have been here over the years and it is always in my heart that’s why just like any other region the Northeast is going to receive one hundred passing out officers on Tuesday to beef up the security strength,” IGP Sellu concluded.