By Olimatou Coker
The Gambia Police Force (GPF) has Thursday held a consultative seminar on the strategic framework of The Gambia police.
The objective of the seminar was to discuss the GPF’s strategic direction and transformational roadmap.
The event has brought together participants from different sectors in the Ministry of Interior, UNDP, Ministry of Justice, the National Human Rights Commission, and other partners.
Momodou Sowe, Deputy Inspector General of Police, said the crucial role and reliable partnership is pushing the strategic roadmap of the police with clear-cut benchmarks and deliverables based on sound administrative policies.
He said the consultative seminar is to create and maintain operational harmony between the Gambia Police Force and its esteemed stakeholders with focus on new strategic direction and thereby eliminating unnecessary duplication and improve coordination and collaboration towards achieving their common goal.
“My office will continue to remain open to any individual, group or institution that wants to work with The Gambia Police Force to improve public safety and security”.
Foday Fofana, Chief Superintendent of Police, explained the vision, mission, core values, models, and planning strategies that they intend to implement based on best international standards of policing.
He stated that police as an institution cannot do away with technology. “We have to use technology to boost our operations. We have to use technology to implement our constitutional mandate in a more effective and efficient manner because police cannot be everywhere and since we cannot be everywhere, that means we have to use technology to be able to monitor crime and try to boost our investigation capabilities.
“Our intention to shift from manual information management to digital information management to adjust to the realities of time, adding that they have experts among them who can develop software that can suit their co-operations”.
Among other things, he elaborated on including their operational strategies, administration strategies, capacity building and development strategies as well as service support which involves strengthening the procurement unit, establishment budget committees in all regions, to provide pick-ups, prison vans, trucks, patrol vehicles amongst other services.
Lamin Banda, a commissioner of police and a participant at the event, emphasized the importance of the seminar, saying it is a moment that the police are trying to respectively take stock of things that were not working rightly in the previous regime.
“This would give police an insight into the gaps and solicit funding in terms of capacity development, logistical support and improve our manpower base to ensure our activities are policy guided”, he stated.
According to Banda, roadmaps of that nature assist in guiding police interventions, actions or decisions, adding that the insightful instrument will go a long way in catching up with modern.
