Since the pronouncement that the UN Mission would be handing over full security responsibilities to Liberia after 13 years of peacekeeping duty following the country’s bloody civil conflict that took away precious lives and destroyed millions worth of properties, apprehensions by some citizens continue to loom over the departure of the peacekeepers as it relates to the provision of state security.
Many continue to wonder wither the security apparatus is fully prepared to take charge of the security situation in the country ahead of a major Presidential and Legislative Elections, especially in the wake of global terrorism taking into consideration recent wave of attacks in the ECOWAS basin with Ivory Coast being the latest of such attacks, right next door to Liberia.
These concerns or apprehensions also point to the fact that both the Police and the military, that are expected to take lead roles in the provision of security are facing numerous constraints or challenges which someway justified the concerns of those who harbor doubts about capability of the Liberian security to fill the void that will be created due to the pending departure of the multi- national force (UNMIL).
While these concerns may be of gravity the button line is that Liberians must be prepared to brace themselves to live in a post-UNMIL era where security will be solely in the hands of Liberian security apparatus.
With the departure of the peacekeepers bulk of the responsibilities will be with the Police which are considered as the first respondent.
The Liberia National Police as a way of preparing itself has gone through a whole lot of transformation under the watchful eyes of the would-be departing UN Mission.
Most of the responsibilities of the mission have long been handed over to the Police before the much publicized drawdown of the mission.
Tasks that where handed over to the LNP
The drawdown process was divided into three phrases that started October 28, 2012 to June 2013.
Phrase I
Witnessed the massive deployment of Police officers across the country in areas that where vacated by the UN Mission as part of the drawdown process. Those areas handed over to the Police under phrase one, for full security responsibilities include Robertsports, Grand Cape Mount County; Cestos City, Rivercess County and LAC, Grand Bassa County.
Other areas that the Police deployed as the result of the drawdown process include Loguatou Border, Nimba County; Foya District, Lofa County; Sinje, Grand Cape Mount; Barclayville, Grand Kru County; Bopolu City, Gbarpolu County and Tubmanburg, Bomi County.
Phrase II
Saw the deployment of armed Police officers at major prison centers across the country, including the Monrovia Central Prison and the National Palace of Correction in Zwedru, while cash escort and Static Guard Security (Central Bank of Liberia) are being taken care of by the Police.
Also under phrase-two the VIP Protection to include the President and the Vice President of Liberia were turned over to the Police.
The deployment of armed Police officers at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where the President has her office and the escort of the Vice President which was previously done by UNMIL are being taken care of by the National Police. Crowd control is one of the major functions of the Liberia National Police, as can be seen at both peaceful and none peaceful gatherings in the country.
Without the support of the United Nations Mission in Liberia, the Liberia National Police single-handedly restored law and order at GVL Plantation in Sinoe County where foreign workers were held hostage, similar situation was also taken care of without any major incident on the part of the Police in Nimba Country when non workers attacked the mining company destroying thousands of dollars’ worth of properties and the recent Ganta fracas by a group of motor cyclists over the death of the one of their members in the commercial city.
Today several youths who participated in those violent protests are facing court trial for their action.
Phrase III
This witnessed the decongestion of Monrovia with Police officers being sent in the leeward. This phrase saw the deployment of officers of the Police Support Unit and Patrol officers across the country to quickly respond to civil disturbance and other form of violence. Under this phrase the visible presence of Police officers on the streets of leeward counties has built the confidence of the locals in the areas they have been deployed.
With these actions taken by the Police under the drawdown process which officially ended on June 30, 2016 indicates the preparedness of the Police to fill any void that may be created by the departure of the UN Mission.
Other security institutions such as the BIN and DEA have all stepped up their activities to beef up security in the absence of the UN Mission here in Liberia. These institutions continue to uplift their strengths and have increased their deployments across the country.
It is worth to note that the Police without the help of the UN Mission has continued to single handedly provide security at the highest level and continue to battle the gun-toting robbers, with evidence of a massive reduction in the rate of the armed robbery situations in the city and its environs, it has been the Police bringing situations under control for the good of the community and its people.
For example, the participation of the security apparatus in the fight against the spread of the EBOLA VIRUS cannot go unnoticed as their presence in some of the affected areas limited the spread of the virus.
The Liberia National Police assisted medical workers to response to people that needed help, especially when the facts surrounding the killer virus was still being ignored by some members of the public. Health workers were prevented from moving into areas and only the Police could open corridors at the time for medical aid to reach the affected areas.
Another show of professionalism by the Liberia National Police was the way in which it handled the 2014 Senatorial elections without any major incidents; this is indicative of the fact that the Police has shown its preparedness to live up to the challenges of handling security situations in the midst of the pullout of the UN Mission.
These landmark achievements and display of professionalism by the Police should be enough to show the world that the Liberian Security can live up to the challenges of providing the kind of security needed by the Liberian people and foreign nationals within our borders.
Budgetary bottleneck
With these excellent interventions with limited resource the need for improved budgetary allocation to the Liberia National Police cannot be over emphasized as in more simple term, money is needed to operate the Police to address the capacity gaps in the wake of the drawdown of our international partners.
The need for improved salaries and incentives are necessary to bring the Police up to speed with the wave of new crimes emerging by the day. The LNP have and continue to exhibit high degree of morals despite all the constraints being encountered in the discharge of their functions.
The National Legislature must see reason to adjust the budget of the Police to meet present days’ demands. While the debate over competing priority cannot be down played, security, especially equipping the Police must take center stage in these debates.
The Liberia National Police is not the only security agency in the country, but the Police have a pivotal role in keeping the country stable. As the first respondent, it must be prepared to meet up with the huge challenges of meeting the security needs of the people of Liberia and other national in the boarders of our country. We request that the Police budget be increased to an appreciable level to meet the realities of the day.
We are grateful for all the assistance giving to our country through the presence of the UN Mission since the inception of the civil war and the intervention made to have us to where we are.
It is now left with all Liberians to maintain the peace that we now have and are encouraged to repose confidence in the Liberian Security apparatus to provide the security needed to protect our country.
Let me appreciate the wisdom of Madam President for leading the country and its people over the last ten years or so. Her leadership has placed the country to the level that now draws the attention of the international community. We again admonish our people not to fear in the wake of the drawdown of the UN Mission as we are prepared to do the do the job.
Bravo UNMIL for a job well done, bravo to Liberian security apparatus for being ready to take up the tasks from where UNMIL is leaving it, together we can make it.
DCP. Sam K. Collins, Chief of Press and Public Affairs/LNP
