Woman’s burial stirs up Gd. Kru

Police in Behtu, Jorlor Statutory District, Grand Kru County are upset over the abrupt burial of a middle age woman, a mother of three, who went missing while attending nature in the bush. According to the state broadcaster ELBC, villagers and family members subsequently launched a massive search for the victim and her remains were discovered in the forest days later with foam oozing out of her mouth.

The body was immediately buried without contacting the police to establish the cause of death. Sources in the county say prior to her mysterious death, the deceased had suffered mental illness.  But the Liberia National Police detachment in Grand Kru County stresses the importance of reporting such incident with the police for thorough investigation.

The police are no going after villagers and family members, who were involved in the secret burial of the victim without establishing what led to her mysterious demise. The county lacks adequate police officers, something is reportedly hampering the criminal justice system there. Grand Kru County Attorney Daniel C.K. Dweh early this year lamented that a county with a population of over 57,000 inhabitants has less than 14 police officers, adding that even the county’s administrative district has no assigned police officers.

He added that out of the county’s eight districts, only three has police officers, something he described as a slap in the face of the criminal justice system of Grand Kru. The county attorney notes that the situation has led to increased crime rate, including murder, rape, kidnapping and theft of property, among others. Attorney Dweh, who is chairman of the Joint Security in Grand Kru, said since he took office five years ago, not a single vehicle has been assigned to the Grand Kru Police Detachment.

Dweh laments that the situation has made the detachment vulnerable, as there is no vehicle for the few police officers in the county to combat crime. He emphasizes that the police are the first contact in the criminal justice system and as such, they should be provided all necessary logistics to protect lives and property across the country.

-Editing by Jonathan Browne