Chiefdom Police Training in Sierra Leone (2008–2015): An Opportunity for a More Context-Based Security Sector Reform?

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Acknowledgements

Thanks go to my friends, especially in Sierra Leone, whom I cannot name in person due to limited space. I would like to express my gratitude toward the Fourah Bay College, Justice Sector Coordination Office, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, and the Sierra Leone Police for their kind understanding.

Notes

1 The author has conducted fieldwork in Sierra Leone since 2007. This paper is based on information collected during fieldwork in Freetown and Moyamba between 1 and 14 March 2017.

2 In July 2017, the GoSL increased the number of provinces from four to five, districts from 14 to 16, and chiefdoms from 149 to 190. This drastic change is referred as ‘de-amalgamation’, in response to a reduction of chiefdoms from 217 to 149 during colonial times, which was then called ‘amalgamation’. Please note that this paper uses the numbers of local governance system prior to the drastic change in 2017.

3 Compared to the other parts of the country, the Western Area has a strong national police presence. The Western Area also has a force similar to that of the chiefdom police known as the Metropolitan Police (once referred as the City Council Police). This paper, however, will not elaborate on the Metropolitan Police due to limited space.

4 Islamic law concerning marriage and inheritance is locally practised in part of the country.

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Notes on contributors

Yoshiaki Furuzawa

YOSHIAKI FURUZAWA is Associate Professor at the Hiroshima City University. His research focuses on peacebuilding policy in sub-Saharan Africa.