By: Foday Manneh
In a dispatch released today, the Gambia Police Force (GPF) announced that all unofficial checkpoints will be suspended with immediate effect across all regions in the country.
This came barely a few days after a significant nationwide strike by The Gambia Transport Union was called off. The issue facing them includes too many highway checkpoints with expensive mandatory fines levied on drivers and passengers.
However, the Police described this latest development as “a policy decision at the heart of the newly adopted policy doctrine of the GPF.”
“The decision is to facilitate easy movement of commuters and address other inconveniences that have come with it,” the release stated.
The Police further clarify that the suspended unofficial checkpoints are those temporarily stationed at accident-prone locations to address urgent security needs and other traffic-related offenses.
“Expectedly, this attracts public reactions, stating that recent spate of crime in the country. Therefore, as an urgent substitute to proactively subsidize crimes, police operation departments are embarking on patrols around earmarked crime zones and sensitization tours across the country,” The dispatch further clarifies.
The Police urged the public to exercise calm and restraint during this process of reformation and rebranding of the Police force.
