Freetown — Deputy director of the Sierra Leone small arms commission on Wednesday acknowledged that the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the sub-region poses is a serious threat to security in the country.
Sahr Sinnah, who was speaking during an open forum organized by the Sierra Leone action network on small arms (SLANSA) at the China House in direct response to the recent spate of armed robbery in Freetown and its environs, said the disarmament that was carried out in the country after the war was mainly for combatants.
He said plans are underway by the government to stem the increase rate of armed robbery incidences in the Western Area.
Sinnah said during the 11-year rebel war and political instability in the country, lots of arms went into the hands of the wrong people.
He disclosed that officers of the republic of Sierra Leone armed forces are now patrolling the country's boarder crossing points, adding that they are always in constant touch with the United Nations mission in Liberia (UNMIL).
"We are sharing notes with UNMIL and we are also liaising with the people living around the boarder areas to update us about the security situation in their localities," he said.
The deputy director of the small arms commission further disclosed that by next month parliament would have enacted the bill on the Sierra Leone small arms commission.
Government, he said, has singed the ECOWAS moratorium on small arms and light weapons.
Secretary general of the Sierra Leone association of journalists (SLAJ), Mustapha Sesay, said Sierra Leone has gone through terrible times, and that the public does not want a repeat of such troubling moments.
According to Seasy, the issues of small arms and armed robbery are a concern to his organizations, adding that it is not possible for every person to have fire arms in his or her possession.
He urged the security forces to monitor all those carrying arms.
"I am appealing to the police to have deployments in the hills and other strategic areas in the Western Area. The police shouldn't wait until armed robbers strike," Sesay admonished.
Earlier SLANSA's programme coordinator Florella Hazeley said the objective of the forum was to chart the way forward in order to proffer ways to address the menace.
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As a Sierra Leonean,I can not sit by to see my country slip back to the old way,that killed my people. First,I must comment on the mistakes of the Government that signed the Ecowas free movement of people bill or whatever.I am not a security Personnel,but I'm very security minded.Criminals from other regions or countries,when they enter,they do laise with the locals of your place. Now they are starting with armed robbery,if they see the weakness in the security system,they will then decide to change their cause of action.The security must be able to monitor all former figthers and former fighers from others Ecowas countries.There was a report one time,that "When sam bockarie fled from Sierra Leone to Liberia,some 350 RUF figthers went him to Liberia,and when sam bockarie was killed and Taylor was out,the fighters went at large or escaped.Where are those fighters? Those were the very nortorious ones. Please find there where about in Sierra Leone. Make them to go through the DDR. They are a threat to the country and they can also conive with other fighters from others Ecowas countries.Please monitor the Kono District,which has the highest number of ex-fighters in the country.Why should the Kono District have the highest number of ex-fighters,when Kono is the list populated District in the country? My visit in that Town,gave me a very mixed feeling of the security set-up in that Town. If the public becomes corrupt,they can entertain even the very drunken thief in their neighbourhood.Lastly,your security force must become spies on all former rebel generals in your country and those from other Ecowas countries that come to visit Sierra Leone.Don't depend on the UN Patrol Team at the borders.All hotels and guest houses,must be able to publish a list(daily) of the names of occupants on there site or submit a list to ONS.We must wake up to stamp every threat that criminals are trying to pose on our country.When you have a strong security system in place,even the criminal will be afraid to operate in your country.Sierra Leoneans,we must all be the eyes of the Government and our people.