Darboe made this statement at a press briefing on Tuesday 1 June 2021 at his residence on Kairaba Avenue.
“Gambian forces will be guarding me and if they feel they want to kill me, let them kill me but the ECOMIG soldiers will not be my bodyguards,” Lawyer Ousainou Darboe said.
Darboe said the state that people live in now cannot be allowed to continue. “The security personnel could have done better if they were given the right equipment to do their job,” Darboe said.
He added that most of our men and women in uniforms don’t have proper communication facilities that will ease the burden on them when exercising their duties.
The UDP leader said the security forces are willing to do the job but they are handicapped. “Most of the police stations in the country do not have motorcycles, and not to talk of vehicles that will facilitate their movements.
The former Gambian vice president said many officials from our security institutions are retiring because they are not motivated. “A UDP government will motivate the police and will boost their capacities,” Lawyer Ousainou Darboe said.
He further said that measures need to be taken to address crime rate in the country. He said people have been witnessing domestic violence like, burglary, robbery, theft and alleged killings among other forms of violence in our communities.
“A UDP government will ensure continuous training for all the security forces in the country,” Darboe said. “We will encourage our partners from other countries to come and train our security officers.”
He alleged that the country is not making any meaningful plans for those who are deported from Europe and now when such people come back most of them find themselves engaged in crime.
Darboe added that issues of crime and drug abuse need to be addressed seriously and concrete measures need to be taken. “In order for us as a country to stop our youth from embarking on the ‘backway’ journey, we need to keep them engage in meaningful work,” Ousainou Darboe said.
He detailed that it is not possible to eliminate crimes completely, but strong measures need to be put in place. He stated that if the police are given the right mobility and equipment, they can keep the country safe and secure.
The UDP presidential hopeful further urged the youth not to take the law into their hands and called on them to use judicial means to express their views and encouraged them to respect the laws of the country.
