By Ramatoulie Jawo
The Gambia Police Force, under the leadership of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Seedy Mukhtar Touray, held a press conference on Friday at their headquarters in Banjul to update the media on their recent activities and developments.
This quarterly press briefing underscores the IGP’s commitment to fostering regular communication with the media regarding the force’s progress, challenges, and future plans.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP), Momodou Sowe, opened the conference by stressing the importance of transparency and accountability within the police force.
“It’s imperative and its well-noted that the vision of the current administration is to ensure that we work along transparency and accountability, and in such a case, it’s prudent that at a given opportunity where it’s possible because we cannot be speaking to all of you every day, but it’s indeed necessary to inform you of the progress, the challenges, and the way forward in trying to usher this magnificent institution whose tasks is slowly and wholly to oversee the continuous well-being of society to ensure that there is sanity, peace and security across the length and bread of this great motherland,” he said.
IGP Touray, speaking to journalists, highlighted significant achievements during the period under review. Among the most notable is the validation of the Gambia Police Force Bill 2024, which aims to replace the outdated Police Act. He also reported a significant reduction in major crimes, with cases dropping from 63 in the second quarter of 2023 to 46 in 2024, marking a decrease in violent crime rates from 57% to 43%.
“We validated the Gambia Police Force Bill 2024. This is a landmark achievement because the current Police Act is obsolete, and it needs to be repealed. Robust patrol led to a significant reduction in major crimes, major crimes reduced from 63 cases in the second quarter of 2023 to 46 cases in the second quarter of 2024 representing a decrease in violent crimes from 57% in the second quarter of 2023, to 43% in the second quarter of 2024. We could not have done this without the partnership of our valued stakeholders,” he said
In addition to crime reduction, IGP Touray noted improvements in working conditions for officers. The force distributed 34 sets of office furniture to eight police stations across two regions and provided uniforms and berets for all officers.
Further, the Gambia Police Force generated D192,148,535 in revenue for the Gambian government in just eight months. Touray credited these results to enhanced patrols and ongoing reforms.
“We have procured 13 new engines to service grounded vehicles that will be added to the GPF fleet of vehicles, so officers can respond to your calls promptly. We have generated revenue for the Government to the tune of (192,148,535) in just eight months. This is impressive given that we do not have all the tools we need for revenue generation, tools such as a digitalized traffic management system will greatly enhance our revenue generation capabilities,” he stated.
However, IGP Touray also acknowledged the challenges facing the force, particularly the lack of protective gear for officers dealing with dangerous criminals.
“We are seriously constrained in protective uniforms for police officers, particularly the operatives. These officers go against dangerous and armed criminals and thus need tasers, pepper spray, and even firearms to protect themselves and the public from these nefarious criminals,” he highlighted.
The Inspector General informed journalists that the Gambia Police Force’s Forensic DNA Lab now can collect and analyze forensic DNA samples. He described this as a groundbreaking development, marking a significant milestone in over 100 years of the Gambia Police Force’s history.
He explained that their forensic experts can now carry out DNA testing and biological analysis, which are crucial for modern policing. These capabilities allow them to gather and examine critical forensic evidence from crime scenes and help identify perpetrators in cases of sexual assault, homicide, murder, and missing persons, among others.
The Inspector General also highlighted that introducing these forensic tools will enhance conviction rates and expedite case resolutions through due process.