POLICE COMMISSIONER RESIGNED?

There has been persistent rumors around the country that the Commissioner of Police together with one of his deputies have resigned their positions and will leave the Police Force before the elections. The office of the Commissioner of Police has failed to deny or confirm the allegations. This situation left unattended will further erode the credibility of the Police Force which is currently at an all-time low.

The country in general is in a state of lawlessness or at least this is the impression one gets when you see what is actually taking place in the country. There are people breaking the law on a daily basis in public places in front of the law enforcement agents and nothing is being done. The Police have been vociferous over the last few weeks about taking action against people who are breaking the law. However, nothing have been done so far to follow through to deter the perpetrators.

On Friday 25th September the Editor of this newspaper attended a meeting at the Mont Fleuri Police Station at the invitation of the senior officers; in his capacity as a candidate for the National Assembly election due in October, to discuss law and order in regards to the coming elections. It was a pathetic exercise in frivolity by the officers, who were making veil threat that they will act if the ongoing public disorder continues. It showed great weaknesses within the Police Force because instead of applying the law, they were trying to get other people to do their jobs for them.

The Police Force has degraded over the last three years since the appointment of the current Commissioner of Police to a level that is now precarious and the fear that anarchy will kick-in just before or just after the elections is real and the Police Force are not equipped to deal with that situation in an adequate manner. This is the reality with the Seychelles Police Force in September 2020, just a few weeks before a General Election.