The Management of the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) has today 30 May 2022 issued a press statement debunking reports made by Sierraloaded over alleged threats by police officers to embark on a nationwide strike action.

On Sunday 29 May 2022, Sierraloaded reported that some officers of the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) have threatened to embark on a nationwide protest and strike action against their poor conditions of service.

“Although no date has been fixed yet for this action, Sierraloaded understands that the decision is not unconnected to the recent deduction of Le300,000 from the officers salary which many personnel described as done without their consent,” the report stated.

“In the same manner, the aggrieved policemen said they would embark on a warning strike to protest against poor working conditions, poor salaries and lack of genuine welfare benefits,” it added.

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In response, the Management of Sierra Leone Police has today issued a press statement noting that they are seized of the facts that sierraloaded, published a story purporting that some police officers have planned or are planning to embark on a nationwide strike action, on a date yet known, allegedly due to a deduction of le 300,000 (three hundred thousand) leones from their salaries, without their knowledge or information.

The SLP noted that, “For the purposes of clarification, management would like to state as follows:

1. That what police officers receive, at whatever levels, as their salaries, is inclusive of allowances;

2. That these allowances are categorised as fixed allowances and/or temporal allowances;

3. That fixed allowances are continuous and are always part of our salaries;

4. That temporal allowances, on the other hand, are occasionally included as part of our salaries contingent upon certain subsisting national situations and/or circumstances, such as emergencies;

5. That when the situation and/or circumstances which necessitated the allowance(s) subside(s), normalize(s) or drastically improve(s), that allowance(s) received for that purpose will be terminated,

6 that during the peak of covid-19 pandemic in Sierra Leone, the government through the ministry of finance, informed the police management about the inclusion of le 300,000.00 (three hundred thousand) leones into police officers salaries, known as temporal risk allowance, pending the pandemic;

7. That this information was adequately communicated to all personnel through the command structures of the SLP; and for which they started receiving and continued to receive the said amount into their salaries on a monthly basis;

8. That personnel were again informed of government’s intention to terminate this temporal risk allowance, given the fact that the covid-19 pandemic had greatly been subdued in Sierra Leone, owing to government’s effective control and preventive measures; and

9. That, for the month of may 2022, the Government of Sierra Leone terminated the inclusion of the said temporal risk allowance into police officers salaries, across the board.

In view of the abobe, the SLP’s management went on to inform the public that there are no plans whatsoever by all or any group or groups of police officers to embark on any nationwide strike action, in respect of same.

“Be further informed that the information published on Sierraloaded and/or any other media outlet concerning imminent strike action by police officers is not only false, but also considered as a calculated ploy by the publishers to stir up anger, hatred and discord within and among the rank and file of the SLP,” SLP stated.

They further assured the public that no right thinking police officer would ever entertain the planning of such a mutinous act, let alone think of engaging in same, adding that they have established structures to address personnel’s grievances, if any; as the organization is guided by established rules and regulations.

“The police management is therefore urging the general public not to countenance such unfounded claims made by Sierraloaded or any other media outlet,” SLP stated.

The press statement from the Management of Sierra Leone Police is posted below 👇🏽