Sierra Leone Government to Recruit Over 1,000 Prison Officers

The Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, who is also the Chairman of the Correctional Service Council has on Thursday paid a an official visit to the Female Correctional Centre in Freetown and disclosed that government is in the process of recruiting 1,000 officers.

According to the Vice President, the recruitment is expected to address the human resource shortage in the service.

The Vice President used the occasion to outline the efforts of the government to address the lingering challenges to improve the welfare and operational capabilities of the security sector including infrastructure development.

Jalloh mentioned the systematic salary increase of securityy sector personnel as well as the purchase of vehicles and motorbikes to enhance mobility of the sector including the 22 brand new vehicle fleet for the correctional services.

He mentioned Government intentions and efforts to relocate the current pademba road correctional centre to Songo.

The Vice President cautioned the prison officers against indiscipline and lack of respect for the law.
He emphatically stressed that “the council will not tolerate any acts of indiscipline including trafficking of contraband goods,” adding that, “this will not only lead to immediate dismissal as per law but liable to prosecution.”

In his address, the Director General of the Sierra Leone Correctional Service, Joseph Lamboi thanked the Vice President for the working visit, adding that that it is the first time a Vice President of Sierra Leone has undertaken such an exercise in his forty years of working in the service.

He added that they are eager to know what advice he has to offer or assurances he will make to put them in a good stead for them to move forward.

One of the Prison Officers, Kadie Sesay, expressed some of their constraints, on behalf of her colleagues, mentioning limited quarters for personnel saying most of them are paying rents out of the meagre salaries they receive which she emphasized cannot make ends meet.

David Dauda Kamara, another Prison Officer also pleaded for the harmonization of their salaries saying some are receiving salaries which are not reflective or commensurate to their positions.

Vice President held open questions and answers meeting with officers and rank and file officers before proceeding for an extended management session including senior officers from across the country. He also conducted a tour of the office facilities including the newly established Security Operational Center.