Members of the Liberia National Police (LNP) have been urged, at the end of a strategic workshop, to aim at making their organisation a great example of professional policing that could help regain the full trust and confidence of the Liberian public.  

Liberia's Dep. Inspector General of Police (Administration) Ms Asatu Bah-Kenneth presents the workshop recommendations to Deputy Justice Minister for Administration and Public Safety, Ms. Ceaineh Johnson as Deputy UN Envoy, Ms. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu and UNPOL Acting Police Commissioner, Henrik Stiernblad look on.

This call was made by the Deputy UN Envoy in Liberia, Ms. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, during the closing session of a five-day Strategic Development Workshop for key LNP Officers, held in the Ghanaian capital, Accra.  

She further called on LNP officers to be pace-setters in the new Liberia, using the skills acquired at the workshop to address the many challenges facing them.

“The LNP itself was a casualty of the protracted civil conflict”, pointed out Ms. Mensa-Bonsu, who is the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General with responsibility for the Rule of Law. 

She called on the LNP to redesign its structures, processes and operations to make them more responsive to the needs and expectations of citizens. “A transformed LNP will rebuild public confidence and trust in the institution.”

Also addressing the closing session was the Deputy Minister for Administration and Public Safety, Ms. Ceaineh Johnson, who highlighted the systemic challenges faced by the LNP, including limited logistical and financial resources, which “hamper rapid response to crime and curtail the LNP’s ability to serve and deliver to the Liberian people adequately.

” She hailed the workshop as a key milestone in the “cohesive process that is needed between the LNP and the Ministry of Justice.”

“Now is the time to look at ourselves and identify the expertise we need because the political will exists from our partners to support the process,” she noted, as she called for further support from the UN family and its partners.

Deputy Inspector-General for Administration, Ms. Asatu Bah-Kenneth, presented a number of recommendations that emerged from the workshop, including an urgent need to address the gaps in the overall recruitment process; introduction of professional training and performance appraisals; merit-based promotions as well as the enhancement of technical skills. It was also agreed that revising and amending legislation will be critical to improving the process of prosecuting cases.

“These proposals will need a change management committee and adequate budgets to support basic operations and to ensure their implementation and sustainability,” she said.

UNDP Country Director Dominic Sam hailed the workshop as a significant step towards a shared understanding of LNP’s challenges. “We’ve come a long way since the 2004 Strategic Plan”, he said. “From this point on, stakeholders and decision makers can take existing reforms and the priorities spelt out at the workshop to the next level,” he added.

Acting UNPOL Commissioner, Henrik Stiernblad, lauded the workshop’s recommendations, noting that they provided a clear way forward for the UN family, which is willing to improve its partnership with the LNP and other stakeholders to take the proposed recommendations to the second stage. 

The workshop was aimed at ushering in a new beginning for the LNP, by critically examining its role at a time when the organisation is facing many challenges, as it seeks to reaffirm the rule of law and extend its presence to all parts of the country. 

Participants visited the Ghana Police headquarters and the Police College in Ghana, where they learnt about management of human resources and other administrative functions.

Commercial Drivers Defiant - FTUL Says Action Is Unilateral

Commercial drivers are testing the resolve of the Liberian Government as to whether it is teethed enough to enforce its new transport fares, which the drivers are challenging. Drivers demonstrated straight defiance yesterday by unilaterally grounding vehicles across the city while others took advantage and charged exorbitantly.

As of early yesterday morning, hardly were commercial vehicles in the streets to ferry commuters to and fro their destinations, and as a result those who could not bear waiting trekked their way to central Monrovia and other parts pf the city.

The drivers are agitating against newly approved transport fares of government, arguing that the government should also adjust the price of gasoline.

However, authorities of the Federation of Transport Union of Liberia (FTUL) disassociated themselves from the action of the drivers, saying that they acted unilaterally.

At a well-attended leadership meeting with the FTUL Chief drivers of various parking lots, held at the FTUL Montserrado Country Branch office on Johnson Street in Monrovia Monday July 7, 2008, the FTUL secretary general Joseph Willie said the FTUL leadership did not approve the commercial drivers’ go-slow action. He described such action as a complete defiance to both the Union and the government.

According to him, the FTUL was not in the position to accept the action exhibited by drivers, who he said have problems with the new transportation fares. He called on them to channel their grievances through the FTUL for a proper redress.

Joseph Willie said there may be some lapses in the  new fare structures released by the government, but  stressed  that such demand should  be done through dialogue, and not actions would exacerbate the suffering of ordinary citizens.

The FTUL Secretary General expressed regret about the situation and called on the drivers to return to the streets for the sake of peace.

Meanwhile the Liberian government said it would not take the issue lightly and called on drivers to return to their respective duties. Transport Minister Jackson E. Doe released a statement in the wake of the drivers’ action to ground their vehicles.