Our police should be allowed to discharge their duties and responsibilities without any hindrance by either the state, individuals, or any interest groups in any way at all when it comes to the discharge of the functions of the police. The state should stand firm in the protection of the police if their functions are interfered with by individuals and interest groups as they would also protect the innocent people who the police wrong in the process of the discharge of their functions. The government was seen very firm denouncing the police the way and manner they handled the Faraba Batang crisis. And not only the state but civil society organizations, the National Assembly and many other concern citizens and even none citizens. The police’s actions were denounced that they had used excessive powers to have allegedly gunned down innocent citizens for a mere exercise of their civic responsibilities. As you read this piece five or more police men are under custody being investigated for the killing of the three Faraba youths. The state also have with immediate effect instituted a commission to enquire the whole circumstances that led to the unfortunate incident and the commission is given only one month to report. That goes to show that government does not relent on getting to the bottom of the circumstance surrounding the Faraba incident and get or see justice be done. After the killing of another young man, one Musa Colley said to be in his twenties a native of Brikama Wellingara in West Coast Region by a truck driver and his two apprentice; the police quickly less than twenty four hours were able to make some arrests in connection to the killing; which is a very good and efficient job by our police. They the Gambia Police Force should be commended for a job well done. However, some youths of Brikama upon hearing the arrest stormed the Brikama Police station demanding that the police hand over the three suspects to them. What would have happen if the police had handed over the suspects to the mob? They would have been killed without trials. Suspects remain suspects until they are proven guilty of the crime they are accused of by a competent court. What the police did was professional and is also commendable; the police refusing to hand over the suspects to the mob is the right thing to do. The police station was under major threat and the angry youths started throwing stones at the police and the station until a reinforcement of the soldiers arrived. This is a very unfortunate incident and that the police should have been allowed to carry out some amount of self defence should such things happen. People cannot take the laws into their own hands and do whatever they want to do and get away with it like that. The police should be able to have tear gas and water cannons at their disposal to disperse such angry mobs. But under no circumstance should they hand over suspects to mob for mob justices. The youths must allow the due process of the law to take its course; and not to put them into any funny circumstance. The law must be allow to take its course without any interferences from anybody for that matter.
An opinion from Madi M.K. Ceesay
Posted - 10 Jul 2018 : 21:38:13
