Monrovia — Liberia National Police and the Liberian National Bar Association expressed serious frustration about law enforcement and the country's Justice sector in the wake of rising mob violence and lack of public trust and legitimacy in the judicial system.
However, the Inspector General of Police, Gregory Coleman, attributes the situation to a lack of trust and legitimacy in law enforcement and the justice system.
Addressing a press conference over the weekend when he provided an update on several crimes committed across the country, IG Coleman explained that there are multiple reasons why mob violence is on the increase in Liberia.
According to him, one of the major challenges is low trust in the law enforcement sector.
"The lack of trust and legitimacy in the law enforcement sector and the justice system extends beyond law enforcement, but it goes to the entire justice and rule of law sector of the country. Something people believe that the court can't help, and they question the working of the system in terms of taking law in their hands; that is why we're doing community engagement to build trust and legitimacy", Coleman says.
He discloses that the Police will arrest and ensure that those who committed crimes against the state and people are brought before the law through the court, but they don't control what happens beyond that point.
"I think it's one of the things we should fight for not just in the law enforcement sector but the entire local justice sector is public trust and legitimacy."
At the same time, the National Bar Association, through its Secretary General, Cllr. Bornor M. Varmah condemns all acts of mob violence recently carried out by some citizens against some alleged criminals, lamenting that the upward trend in mob violence undermines the rule of law.
According to him, the increase is alarming, as these activities are seemingly more violent, with a tendency to kill victims and turn against security forces who attempt to intervene.
Cllr. Varmah reminds all Liberians that since the end of Liberia's civil war, mob violence has become a frequent occurrence for alleged criminals to be literally lynched, sometimes to death, by an angry mob, including bystanders, who simply have no inkling about the issue in the controversy or the person involved.
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"All that is required to instigate mob violence is to simply shout rogue in a crowded area and to point at somebody. Before the victim realizes, a mammoth crowd descends on him or her, and the consequence is instant death, severe aggravated bodily injury", he notes.
Cllr Varmah underscores that any person accused of committing a crime is presumed 'innocent until proven guilty' in a competent court, which exercises appropriate jurisdiction over such matters and persons, and that an accused person is entitled to bail as a constitutional right, unless in capital offense. Editing by Jonathan Browne
