By Alpha Abu
A number of arrests have been made in what the Police say is a clampdown on fishermen who are in the habit of blasting dynamite explosives at the Aberdeen Creek, west of Freetown. Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police Amadu Mannah in briefing journalists at the Police headquarters in Freetown said they have arrested individuals in a raid dubbed “Operation Seagulls” because of their persistent detonating of the explosives right underneath the Aberdeen bridge.
He said before now, fishermen used to get dynamite from construction companies but they are becoming more specialised themselves in locally manufacturing the explosives for sale and are even training fishermen from the coastal fishing communities upcountry on how to assemble and construct them, a situation which he said poses a threat to the security of the state.
Superintendent Foday Osman Sesay who heads the Operational Policy department at the Murray Town Police said tremors accompanying the dynamite blasts have led to visible cracks appearing under the bridge for which concerns have been raised in many quarters about the threats posed to the longevity of the structure.
He stated that Police have used a multi-sectorial approach by drafting the Tourism Ministry, the Ministry of Lands, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Civil Society Organisations over the years, in various engagements with the fishermen so they could desist from the practice.
“We cannot sit by and allow some unscrupulous people to destroy that bridge’’, the officer warned, and drew reference to the huge money and time that went into its construction and its strategic relevance in connecting Freetown with the country’s main tourist hub. He said the police will be blamed if that bridge collapses and they will therefore not sit by and allow that to happen.
Supt. Sesay stated that the Police will take all measures necessary and that all options were on the table
“We have warned and warned, but these people are still trying to test our resolve, this time we will not allow them to get their way. If they talk about human rights we will tell them that public safety and security far override their parochial interests. We are going to chase this time and we will not relent”, he vowed. He emphasised the operation is closer to their hearts and they would relentlessly pursue perpetrators of dynamite blasting around the vicinity of the bridge.
Latest reports say four people have so far been arrested and will be charged to court.
In another development, the Police officers at the press conference disclosed that 500, mostly commercial motorbikes impounded and ticketed for various offences including plying within the Central Business District (CBD) of the capital, were being held at a Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) facility.
They say the bikes will be released to their owners only after they would have paid to the Authority, the stipulated fines. The Police spoke of plans by various government institutions including the Office for National Security (ONS), to engage representatives of the bike riders union, for a restructuring of the ways the bikers operate, that will ensure proper regulation of the way they run, as is being done in other countries like Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.
The Police also say they will soon be launching another operation that will tackle general acts of lawlessness, street trading, and the throwing of garbage in public places.
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