By: Emmanuel Wise Jipoh
Liberia First National Police College will be established here soon; Deputy Inspector General of Police Training and Manpower Development (DIGP) Sadatu L.M. Reeves has disclosed.
According to the commandant of the Liberia National Police Academy and Training School, DIGP Reeves, plans are well advanced for the establishment of the Liberia National Police College.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony of 166 officers of the Executive Protection Service (EPS) in Basic Executive Protection Course Class-2, Madam Reeves details that the country’s first police college will offer diplomas and subsequently roll out full degree programs in law enforcement management and criminal justice.
She stressed that the Police College will ensure that officers are not only tactically ready but also academically empowered to serve the state.
The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Reeves, also reiterated a plan to establish a peacekeeping school to prepare Liberian police officers for regional and international deployment adequately.
She further lamented that the police are seeking support for training forensic laboratories, which Madam Reeves describes as vital tools to strengthen criminal investigation and bring science into evidence-based policing.
The commandant of the Police Training Academy and School, DIGP Reeves, reiterated all this as part of the Police Strategy Commitments to making the Police Training Center of Excellence recognizable not only nationally but across Africa.
Briefly at the same event, Senior Police Advisor of the United States Embassy near Monrovia, Steve Kissik, reaffirms the US support towards the Liberia National Police.
Kissik describes the occasion as a significant milestone in Liberia’s efforts to strengthen its security sector and build self-esteem with the protection of VIPs.
While Senate Chair on Security, Defense, and Intelligence, Lofa County Senator Momo Cyrus, reassured the Liberian Senate of support towards the Liberia National Police in strengthening capacity-building and logistics efforts.
“With the little we are given to you, we can see the significant improvements you have made, and as Chairman on Security, Defense, and Intelligence, I reaffirm the Senate’s commitment to strengthening the institution and upholding national security.
“We will continue to work with the Liberia National Police to ensure that the capacity-building efforts continue,” he added.
Meanwhile, the establishment of the Liberia National Police College might come as a boost to the country’s security sector, as citizens have often complained about Police officers for unprofessionalism in executing their duties.
On several occasions, some police officers have been caught engaging in violence and being brutal against peaceful citizens. – Edited by Othello B. Garblah
