Monrovia – A local business organization, under the banner “Paynesville Business Association,” Monday donated several items to the Liberia National Police (LNP).
The items include 100 bags of 25kg rice,15 pieces of mattresses, 24 pieces of rubber chairs and 15 dozen of bottled water for upkeep of officers in the 15 counties.
The president of the Association, Sheik Y. Jalloh, said the donation is intended to acknowledge the services being provided by the LNP for the business community, since the ascendency of Col. Gregory Coleman as Inspector General.
He commended the LNP for erecting a depot at an area formerly surrounded with ex-combatants and drugs abusers.
“We like to say thanks for saving our businesses from criminals.”
“These days our stores can be opened till 6pm and can’t be disturbed by criminals anymore as compare to time past.”
“We also say thanks for restoring sanity to Turtle Base, which used to be a no-go zone,” Jalloh said.
He said the empowerment of the police can only be done when citizens collaborate with them.
Deputy Inspector General for Administration, Col. Sadatu Reeves, thanked the Association for the timely response and promised that the donations will be used for its intended purpose.
FrontPageAfrica recently published an article following a hint from a source that PSU and other officers deployed around the country by senior authorities were in dire need of food.
The extra manpower had to be called in to beef up security for the Presidential and Legislative elections, which was held on October 10th.
The men and women of the LNP were very hopeful that with their deployment they would have earned some extra money (per diem) for their extra duties, but the case has rather been frustrating for most of them.
Some who spoke with this paper on the basis of anonymity said they were promised US$5 per day but they are yet to receive that money for a couple of weeks now.
“They promised to give us US$5 a day but that money is not coming.”
“They’re supposed to bring us food, but whenever the vehicle breaks down, the food doesn’t come.
For us PSU officers, we have no break; we work 24/7,” one PSU officer told this paper.
A female officer recalled an incident where one PSU officer fell unconscious at the ELWA intersection while on duty.
“He was not sick, he was hungry – that is what happened to him – Hunger. There was no water.
“Sometimes we come here not having a cent in our pockets, or the little money we bring along we use it to buy water.
“It is not easy standing under the scorching sun with this helmet on our heads and wearing all these vests.
“We drink a lot of water because of the sun and the heat. If only our bosses can supply us water, at least water, it would help us a whole lot.”
Another officer told this paper when she inquired about the daily per diem, she was told it was signed for by one of her bosses for distribution.
She, however, wondered who it was and why she hasn’t received her money yet.
Meanwhile the article triggered a response from Col. Reeves, who says journalists should be objective in their reportage.
She said the Police is doing extremely well meeting the needs of officers and was unbelievable that a media entity will wish to castigate the current efforts employed by the team adding that the Police in a form of transition.
“We urge the journalists to be balanced, fair and objective in their reportage because the role of the media is crucial so what you write or say could cause instability in the country.”