Monrovia – Ahead of the pending Presidential and Legislative Elections scheduled for October this year, the Inspector General of the Liberia Police Gregory Coleman has assured women aspiring for legislative seats of full Police protection during their campaign process.
IGP Coleman said the Liberia National Police is under full obligation to provide an enabling environment that will encourage women participation in the pending elections, describing them as an important contributor to the current peace the country is experiencing.
Coleman said the Police will not favor any group of people over another, but will provide equal opportunity for all people including women who are intending to participate in the electoral process.
According to an LNP statement, the Police chief admonished the women to be peaceful during the process of elections, adding that the upcoming election is very crucial to the survival of the country’s emerging democracy.
He encouraged them to alert the Police on issues of insecurity that they may encounter during the electoral period, stressing that they will deal with anyone that will want to create an atmosphere of insecurity for women.
“We will do all we can to protect you, but we also ask you to support our move of promoting peaceful elections, which is good for our country”, the Inspector General of Police indicated.
The Liberian Police Chief made the statement over the weekend in Gbarnga, Bong County where he met with over one hundred women who are aspiring for legislative seats and their campaign managers.
The training of the women is being done by the National Movement for Transparent Elections.
At the same time, the Liberia National Police has held discussions with citizens of Bong, Nimba, and, Lofa Counties as part of its nationwide tour geared towards promoting peaceful elections in 2017.
The citizens of the three counties expressed their willingness to support the LNP in promoting peaceful elections, stating that the pending election is historical and crucial to Liberia.
The Bong, Lofa, and Nimba inhabitants called on the Police leadership to increase the number of manpower in their respective counties ahead of the elections.
They said the lack of adequate logistics for local Police officers is bothering the smooth operations of the Police, and want the Police leadership consider addressing the issues confronting the counties ahead of the elections.
For his part, Col. Coleman informed the locals of the three counties of the need to uphold the rule of law during the elections, as the upcoming elections was important for the future of the country.
He said the “Yes To Peace, No To Violence” initiative undertaken by the Police is intended to build the confidence of the public in the LNP.
He called on the citizens to support the initiative being promoted by the Liberia National Police, indicating that the move by the Police is intended to take the Police to the people for better cooperation and understanding.
He called on the locals to report any form of Police misconduct that they may experience while interacting with officers assigned in their respective counties.
“You are encouraged to report any form of misconduct on the part of officers to the Professional Standards Division of the Liberia Police in your county, and I can assure you that appropriate action will be taken against any officer that will be found liable,” Col. Coleman said.
The Police-citizens dialogue was attended by local officials in the three counties.
The officials reminded the citizens of the role they have to play in promoting the transition process that must be void of violence.
They promised their fullest commitment in working with the Police to promote violence free elections in 2017.