The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Regional Office in Kono has encouraged police personnel of the Tankoro Police Division to imbibe integrity and professionalism in the discharge of their duties. This event took place during their mustered parade on the 29th September, 2023 at the Tankoro Police Division.
In her statement, the Regional Manager of the ACC’s Kono Office Hawanatu Omotayo Kamara expressed disappointment on the conducts of some police officers, leading to several complaints from members of the public relating to abuse of office, extortions, unprofessionalism and collection of petty bribes. She emphasized the importance of the police to nation-building, adding that the internal security of the country rests solely in their hands and as such anti-corruption measures should be mainstreamed in their work.
Mrs. Kamara further said that the ACC has been proactively working with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in mainstreaming anti-corruption policies and has proffered best practice Guides to prevent corruption occurrences in the day-to-day activities of public officers. She explained some of the offences in the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008 as amended in 2019, such as abuse of power, bribery, etc.
The ACC Regional Manager warned officers involved in corruption to desist forthwith or face the full penalty of the law. The law, she said, will come down heavily on anyone caught acting contrary to the ethics and standards of their profession. She therefore urged them to embrace integrity, fairness, transparency and sound judgement. She also entreated the personnel to identify corruption activities wherever they find themselves and to report incidents of corruption to the ACC as well as to resist and reject it henceforth.
Earlier on, the Local Unit Commander (LUC) of the Tankoro Police Division, Alhaji Keifala M. Bangura expressed profound gratitude to the ACC for the short but important talk to the police personnel. LUC Bangura added that the police personnel are no stranger to such talks as he has been admonishing them to refrain from petty bribery and to work diligently as stipulated in their codes of conduct. He added that he is happy that such lessons are coming from the ACC which is the lead institution for the fight against corruption in the country. “The fight against corruption should not be left solely in the hands of the ACC as it is a collective fight by every citizen; and the Police should be seen as prominent in riding this menace out of our beloved country,” the LUC averred.
