By Lamin Fatty
The Gambia Prisons Department’s station in Janjanbureh, is grappling with mobility challenges as the station has only one vehicle for its entire services.
According to sources close to the department of prisons, the only vehicle at Janjangbureh prisons is used for transporting prisoners.
“This is the only vehicle used in the entire services of the station here in Janjanbureh, and this includes transporting prisoners from Janjanbureh prisons to the Courts in Basse, Mansakonko and Farafenni. It is also the same vehicle used for escorting prisoners in case of sickness and needs to be taken to Bansang Hospital. But even though, this particular vehicle is not in good condition as it has been over use d and is old now,” the source explained.
When contacted for comments, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Gambia Prison Department, Spt. Momodou Lamin Ceesay, confirmed the story and said the aforesaid station in Janjangbureh faces a huge mobility challenge when it comes to services regarding prisoners’ welfare. He said the only vehicle at the aforesaid prison station is not ideal for transporting prisoners, let alone taking care of other services.
“Yes, it is true that mobility is a very big challenge for Janjanbure Prison Service. I can confirm this because I visited that station just last week. Sometimes, officers of the station have to approach other departments in order to borrow a vehicle just to transport prisoners,” Spt. Ceesay said; adding that the only pick-up vehicle at the station is close to being a scrap and it hampers the right service delivery at the prison station. He said the prison station at Janjangbureh needs Government or any other support to address its mobility issue.
For the information of the readership, Janjanbureh prison station is Gambia’s second largest and it is where many remanded prisoners awaiting trial, are kept.
