By Alieu Jallow
ASP Modou Musa Sissawo, the Public Relations Officer of the Gambia Police Force, has expressed concerns regarding the police salaries, labelling it a “challenge for everybody”.
The GPF’s men and women are tasked with the duty of safeguarding citizens, fighting crime, and ensuring the prevalence of justice. Nonetheless, their unwavering dedication seems to be undermined by insufficient wages, leading to discontent and unprofessional conduct, including the solicitation of bribes from both citizens and foreigners.
In light of these issues, the Police PRO remarked that being governed by the Public Service Commission presents significant challenges to their salary structure.
“Salaries are a challenge for everybody, which is the elephant in the house. The challenge with that [is] the Gambia Police Force is under the Gambia government, and we don’t have our [own] pay scale. So, it is like when the government increases the salaries, our salary also increases,” Sisawo said.
The police spokesperson emphasized their work on the Police Draft Bill, aimed at addressing the challenges faced by the Police Force and other aspects intended to strengthen the police department. PRO Sissawo also refuted claims that inadequate salaries drive their officers to accept bribes.
“Bribery usually is about the attitude of the person. It is not about salaries because many people are accused of bribery and corruption who receives 10 times more than the average salary of a police officer on the street who is alleged to have accepted bribes”.
Numerous police officers face financial difficulties and struggle to support their families because of their insufficient salaries. This issue particularly impacts junior officers, many of whom find it challenging to afford essentials like food, housing, and their children’s education.
ASP Sissawo emphasized that police should never accept bribes, as they are conscious of the salary that comes with their job. Nonetheless, ASP Sissawo acknowledged that with the substantial rise in the cost and standard of living, there is a pressing need for a salary increment.
“Looking at standards of living, things have changed in this country and there is a great need for salaries to be reviewed or adjusted for the Gambia Police Force. We are engaging the leaders, and they are aware. Hopefully, we will see at the strategic level as we are only at the operational level of government because we want to see how they can encourage our officers to serve in a very respectable, committed and deserving way of the public,” he said.
The problem of inadequate remuneration within the GPF is a significant concern that numerous officers have lamented. Despite risking their lives daily to enforce the law and safeguard citizens, many feel their dedication and sacrifices remain unrecognized, even as they face verbal and physical assaults from the very people they protect.
