This question was posed to Halifa Sallah.
He said there is a clear line of demarcation between the role of the army and the role of the police under the 1997 Constitution.
Section 178(2) of the Constitution provides for the role of the police by asserting:
“The Police Force shall be equipped and maintained to perform its traditional role of maintaining law and order, and such other functions as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly.”
Hence it is the role of the police to apprehend people who are suspected of committing a crime or are about to commit a crime. The role of the army is to preserve and defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of The Gambia.
The two roles are clearly defined by the Constitution. The army has no other role except that given by civil authorities to add to their specific role in case of any emergency or productive venture. It is civil authorities who must define what is a state of emergency and how the army should conduct itself during such emergency. Civil authorities must also rely on the Constitution to declare a state of emergency and such emergency must also be backed by regulations.
Hence it is the police that must be fully equipped to ensure law and order. There is no room for a shoot to kill policy by the army to maintain law and order. Any such statement is regrettable and should be withdrawn. It gives the impression that the members of the armed forces are given a licence to kill with impunity.
