By Our Staff Writer
Amid increasing reports that some Liberian Police and state security officers are compromising rape cases, the Police Inspector General Patrick Sudue on Tuesday vowed to crack down on rapists and expel any of his officers caught in the practice.
IG Sudue told the morning phone-in talk show of the local OK FM on October 6, 2020: “Rapists will be handled as armed robbers.”
“We are coming after you and we will get you the hard way in line with the law,” the police chief warned.
Last month, Correction officers at the National Correction Palace were investigated for allegedly receiving bribe and releasing a rape suspect. But the suspect was later rearrested. Earlier, there were reports of a number of police officers allegedly being influenced by cash to compromise rape cases.
Weeks ago, President George Manneh Weah described rape as a “national emergency”, as there have reportedly been over a thousand cases of rape in the country within the span of six months, with many of the victims being girls as young as two years old.
Prior to the presidential declaration, anti-rape groups, including youth activists, staged three days of protests in Monrovia and other parts of the country to vent out their anger and frustration over the rising tide of rape, calling for tougher actions against convicted rapists.
The current rape law in Liberia makes the crime of rape nonbailable.
Col. Sudue warned police officers not to compromise rape cases, saying that any officer found guilty of engaging in such practice will be removed from the LNP.
The police IG has urged the Liberian public to expose any police officer, family member or anyone involved in compromising rape cases.