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Workplace equality for police in Sierra Leone



Sierra Leone has recruited its first disabled officers, reports the BBC (December 20, 2012). Four men were recruited into the police services, a move praised by human rights campaigners.

In Sierra Leone, about two-thirds of disabled people are unemployed, and a 2009 survey in urban areas found that 69% of disabled people had no access to income. Of the 2.7% of the population disabled (2004 census), 50% of women and 34% of men have never been to school, maintains the Leonard Cheshire Foundation in Sierra Leone.

The Disability Act was passed in Sierra Leone in 2011, and the recruitment puts this act into practice.

The police services in Sierra Leone commented on the workplace equality in terms of its benefit for the general public: “When you see a disabled officer you don’t have a perception of any immediate threat,” said police chief Inspector-General Francis Aliou Munu. “It’s about building trust,” he added. “We are telling Sierra Leonean society that it doesn’t matter if you are disabled or not. If you have got the qualifications and the ability and the competency, then disability shouldn’t matter.” The force has 11,000 police and the police chief said that not all of them need to be on the streets, particularly in light of modern crimes such as computer-based fraud and security.

The four police officers have reported that they were welcomed by their work colleagues. They will work at the Police Communications Centre in the capital, Freetown, interfacing with the public. They qualified for the police services after qualifying with information technology and computing skills.

The number of disabled police is still not representative of society in many developed countries, although they do have in place workforce equity laws and regulations. For example, the BBC stated on December 13, 2012, that statistics on the number of disabled police in England and Wales was based on officers declaring themselves as disabled. Hence, in 2009/2010 there were 1,807 disabled police officers, 1,960 in 2010/2011, and 1,998 in 2011/2012 (December 17, 2012). Under the disability act, a disability is a physical or mental impairment which would substantially affect the ability to carry out normal daily activities. However, the fluctuations in statistics, and self-interpretation, often lead to unreliable or under-reported information. Often factors, such as the internal culture of an organization and the attitude of colleagues and management may lead to negative connotations of the word “disabled.”

The Australian Federal Police is an equal opportunity employer and recognizes the importance of diversity, not just cultural and linguistic diversity, but also about gender, sexual orientation, age, and attitude (http://www.afp.gov.au). Hence, the AFP recognizes national community events such as Harmony Day, Disability Day, NAIDOC Week (National Aborigines and Islanders Day of Observance Committee), the Gay and Lesbian Officers Network, and the Women’s Network.

Most countries are now recognizing the importance of having a Workforce Diversity Plan to foster harmonious working relationships and representation of all community groups. The main aim of workforce diversity is to value individual differences and to treat all people with respect.


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