By: Nyima Sillah
Taking into consideration the surge in crime across the country, the former National Assembly Member for Tumana Constituency has said all money spent by the government on the entire security faculty of the country is not yielding any dividend.
Speaking to this reporter on Thursday, the former MP Hon Foday NM Drammeh emphasised that “The Gambia government is spending almost D1.8 billion in the entire security faculty of our country still with this huge amount of money it doesn’t pay any dividend.”
He said there is a need for the government to reconsider working hard on the security sector reform to make sure the security is very effective, and as well provide the necessary equipment that would enable them to do their work effectively.
He pointed out that the amount of insecurity in the country is worrisome for everyone. “We cannot continue to live in this situation. Insecurity in any country is not good. This is the reason why the government should look into the matter and find out the causes of insecurity,” he added.
According to him, looking into the international best practices, the amount of security personnel the Gambia has, especially in the police force and other sister institutions, is more compared to other countries yet the country is insecure.
“The insecurity in the country should be everyone’s concern because it has an international reputation in our country. I am calling on the government and other partners to try and look into the entire security system and remedy the situation.”
Meanwhile, he advised the IGP to change his tactics if he feels that the tactics he is using are no longer working effectively. “You need to inject new strategies to make sure that the lives and properties of people are protected.
“There are a lot of murder and theft cases in The Gambia. The crime rate in our country is increasing. If this issue is not looked at, it is going to give us a bad reputation in terms of investment and other things.
He also suggested that the IGP should introduce effective community policing in all regions with prior sensitization programs in the communities to help minimize the high rate of crimes in the country.