The Inspector General of Police, Mr. William Fayia Sellu met with the Canadian Consul to Sierra Leone, His Excellency Kofie Macauley at his George Street office in Freetown, on Tuesday 24th January, 2023, where the latter reaffirmed his commitment to support the SLP in the area of capacity building of its personnel.
Glen Pereira, the First Secretary and the Liaison Officer revealed that he had had the opportunity of visiting Sierra Leone twice. He however promised to offer training opportunities to the SLP, akin to other training he had organised before for the Transnational Organised Crime Unit (TOCU) and Immigration Staff at the Freetown International Airport in Lungi, on transnational and organised crime-related issues.
He noted that from a broader perspective, he is looking at cross-border related offenses such as smuggling, human trafficking, and transnational organised related offenses. As the Liaison Officer for West Africa, especially for Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ghana, he expressed his desire and willingness to assist the SLP with further training and any future investigations relating to Canadian nationals.
“Today’s training (alluding to an ongoing Canadian sponsored training at the Police Academy) is centered around prosecution, human trafficking, and smuggling” – all in a bid to broaden the wider spectrum of personnel on the issues surrounding transnational related offenses. Glen Pereira alluded to a pending threat looming in Burkina Faso.
He pleaded with IGP Fayia Sellu for assistance in the event Canada has any common activities linked to Sierra Leone in future.
In response, Mr. Sellu thanked the Canadian Consul and the first secretary Mr. Glen Pereira for his recognition, noting that training is paramount to capacitating personnel in the SLP.
Mr. Fayia Sellu affirmed that human trafficking and smuggling are border-related activities, referencing someone who was arrested with children for alleged child trafficking along the border. He appreciated the efforts of the Consul and pleaded with him to assist the organisation with further training, as the ongoing one at the Academy was considered a quick fix. Mr. Sellu reiterated that the SLP has established a long standing relationship with the diplomatic Consul and which he vowed to maintain.
