Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr and Deputy Inspector General of Police Andrew Mustapha Kamara on Monday, 17 August 2026, officially opened a six-week intensive physical and academic training programme for 70 new recruits of the Freetown City Council (FCC) Metropolitan Police.
The training is underway at the Sierra Leone Peacekeeping and Law Enforcement Academy (SILEA) in Hastings. It aims to strengthen the Council’s capacity to enforce municipal laws, maintain public order, and improve service delivery across the capital.
Of the 70 recruits, 24 are women, about 34 percent of the intake. This recruitment expands the overall strength of the FCC Metropolitan Police by 10 percent and forms part of the Council’s Transform Freetown – Transforming Lives development agenda, which prioritises job creation for women and young people.
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr expressed gratitude to the Sierra Leone Police for their ongoing partnership with the Council, including collaboration on the DortiMusGo waste management campaign. She urged the recruits to take the training seriously, emphasising professionalism, integrity, and proper conduct in their duties.
The Mayor also highlighted the importance of empowering the female recruits to build confidence and leadership skills, noting that inclusivity strengthens the force.
Deputy Inspector General Kamara described the programme as the start of a journey that will turn the recruits into professionally trained officers ready to deliver enforcement services to Freetown residents.
He cautioned them not to see the opportunity merely as a job, but to develop a genuine commitment to serving the people of the city. He noted that the training will cover self-defence, arrest procedures, physical fitness, and classroom instruction.
SILEA Commandant Assistant Commissioner of Police Brima Kamara assured that the academy would deliver a structured programme focused on discipline, professionalism, and practical skills. The ceremony was attended by FCC councillors and staff, members of the Metropolitan Police leadership, SILEA trainers, and other stakeholders.
The strengthened Metropolitan Police will play a key role in enforcing Freetown’s new sanitation byelaws under the ongoing DortiMusGo campaign. These byelaws require residents and businesses to register with approved waste collection service providers, ban illegal dumping and burning of waste, and carry penalties of up to NLe 5,000 or six months’ imprisonment for violations. The force also supports broader efforts to keep the city cleaner, safer, and better organised.
This latest intake builds on previous recruitments, including a significant cohort trained and passed out in 2021 — the first major expansion of the Metropolitan Police since 2010. Together, these efforts aim to equip the force to better protect life and property and enforce municipal regulations in a city of more than 1.2 million people.
The six-week programme is expected to produce officers ready to serve Freetonians with discipline and dedication.
