By Nelson Manneh
The Gambia Police Force on Thursday 28th September 2017, promoted forty four Police Officers to the rank of Superintended and Assistant Superintendent of Police ((SP, ASP).
The colorful ceremony took place at the main Police Headquarters conference hall in Banjul, where four of the officers were promoted to the rank of SP and the other forty to ASP. Among the promoted officers were seven females.
Binta Jeng Sallah the Assistant PRO of the Gambia Police Force who served as the master of the ceremony, said in her remarks that it was the second batch of promotions they were making since the new Government came into existence. She added that as a democratic country, security is challenging and the police are expected to operate up to expectation in order to promote human rights and justice.
“Promotion is a form of motivation by saying thank you for a job well done, to the promoted. It also gives additional tasks to those promoted,” she said
The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Alagie Mamour Jobe in his welcome remarks said those who were promoted have gone through different activities and were examined some years ago; that their time has finally come and they have bee.
The Deputy IG urged the newly promoted officers to n promoted by the Police.
The DIG told the gathering of officers and well-wishers that in the Police Force, age or body structure, does not matter but the rank the person carries.
“If you do well, good will follow you; if you do bad too bad will follow you. Gone are the days when a senior police officer will give charges to junior ones as punishment for wrong doing. Now any officer caught doing wrong or violating rights, the necessary steps will be taken before any charges will be made against the individual,” he said.
Mr. Jobe said the newly promoted officers will go through some induction to meet the standard of their ranks; that with this training, no officer should say he or she does not know their duties.
Mr. Landing Kinteh, the Inspector General (IG) of Police said, promotions are based on merit and anybody promoted is expected to deliver.
“The Gambia is a democratic country and in any democratic country the police face challenges and we are expected to overcome them. The police are not above the law and human rights should be secured as far as the job is concerned,” he noted.
IG Kinteh said the public have the right to say anything to the police but the responsibility lies on their hands. He said the police is going under some reforms and this is to make the job more professional. This is why those promoted has a lot to do as they are now senior officers.
“Some people are saying that the crime rate has now increased but the fact is that the crimes reported are many this is because the people are now free to report their cases anywhere and anytime they feel like. This does not mean that the crime rate has increased,” he said.
Mr. Kinteh said promotions are based on hard work and co-operations. He said as at now the police are facing a lot of constrains but as management they are trying by all means to make sure that the police achieve their goals.
“In those days, the police live by the day, when you go to work you know you are there and you can be sack anytime but now there is job security,” he said.
The PRO of the Gambia police force Foday Conta who was among those promoted to the rank of ASP said, promotions in the police are given to those promoted by the Force, said “As it is rightly said by the IG, promotion is based on merit, hard work and co-operation. We the promoted ones are given another responsibility to take up. A lot is expected from us and we will make sure that we prove ourselves”.
