By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
The Sierra Leone Correctional Service (SLCS) has received 22 vehicles from the government of Sierra Leone to ameliorate the ‘acute shortage of vehicles’ in most correctional centres in the country.
The category of vehicles received by the SLCS include: three Ambulances, six Pick-up Trucks, two Sports Utility Vehicles and eleven Trucks.
In his address, the Director General of the SLCS, Joseph Lamboi said he was excited about the fact that ‘’the transportation challenge which had plagued the department for so long has been ameliorated.’’
He said he was grateful to the government for the gesture which the SLCS had been yearning for. He noted that ‘’this invaluable support is not only going to make our job easier, but it will also bring value to the department in the midst of our sister forces.’’
During the official unveiling ceremony of the vehicles, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Panda Noah said the government was aware of the numerous challenges faced by the SLCS, noting that it is the reason President Julius Maada Bio ordered that a managerial assessment review of the Service be carried out. He added that, it was from the report they gathered across all Correctional Centres that they realized there was shortage of vehicles. He emphasized that it was difficult to commute inmates to and from court in most Correctional Centres.
‘’It was clear from the reports we got that across all Correctional Centres there was an acute shortage of vehicles . This ugly situation made it difficult to commute inmates to and from court in most Correctional Centres’’, he said.
The Minister maintained that the Julius Maada Bio government “is committed in building trust between the citizenry and the security sector.’’
According to the Internal Affairs Minister, government is focused on ‘professionalizing’ and de-politicizing the forces for effective service delivery. He assured that government is taking deliberate steps in decongesting Correctional Centres and instituting modern reforms in the Service.
Copyright © 2022 Politico (21/01/22)
