By: Kemo Kanyi
The Inspector General of Police, Seedy Muktar Touray, has emphasised that his institution has improved its compliance with human rights and the rule of law. This is attributed to the improvement in the ongoing security sector reforms.
He made these remarks on Wednesday at a press briefing on police improvement, where he said the Gambia Police Force is more responsive to the concerns and advice to board governance and oversight institutions.
He noted that the Ministry of Interior, other ministries, parliament, departments, office of the Ombudsman, and the National Human Rights Commission can all attest to GPF’s level of cooperation with the civilian authorities.
“Advocacies and trainings on the rule of law are still ongoing to create awareness among the rank-and-files of the police force. Partners like the National Human Rights Commission have invested a lot in this area. We are committed to ensuring that our officers are not only human rights compliant but are also defenders of human rights,” he emphasized.
He added: “This has manifested in the recent construction of modern police stations which are more human rights friendly and we will make sure to maintain that standard or further improve on it. In our recruitment of officers, it is mandated that one must have a clean human rights record before enrolling into the Gambia Police Force.”
He stated that the GPF has developed and now operationalizing more than twenty legal and regulatory frameworks in the form of policies that were inexistent previously, and this includes the strategic plan 2024-2028, police doctrine, cord of conduct for The Gambia Police Force, arrest and detention procedure manual, recruitment and selection.
