In most of the riotous situations in The Gambia, the law enforcement have always been perceived and seen as hostile or bullish to journalists.
The Gambia Press Union (GPU) and the Gambia Police Force (GPF) have yet to develop a comprehensive strategy on reporting in dangerous situations such as riots.
However, one police sergeant could change all this if what he demonstrated in the recent Jabang youth riots is anything to go by.
For the past few days, JollofNews has been moving heaven and earth to identify and of course, lay hands on the picture of the cop, who was seen in the video of the Jabang disturbances, insisting that a reporter and cameraman fall back behind the police line for safety reasons.
“Come back for your safety. Come back, they [youths] are very hostile at the moment,” the officer could be heard saying in the footage as mobs of angry youths engaged in running battles with the paramilitary and the Anti-Crime Unit of the Gambia Police Force on the highway and in the streets of Jabang with some hauling projectiles and insults at the police.
The officer, identified as Sgt. Badjie and the Commander of the Anti-Crime base in Jabang, caught the admiration of many.
“I think the police and journalists can avoid lots of misunderstandings by collaborating on issues of safety during protests. These are all issues that need to be catered to by the security sector reform project for a better working relationship between the law enforcement and the Press when it comes to covering riots and protests,” one commentator postulated.
