In an effort to improve the welfare of its personnel, The Gambia Police Force yesterday commissioned a 29-seater brand new bus at a ceremony presided over by the minister of Interior, Ousman sonko, at the police headquarters in Banjul.

The vehicle is expected to ease the transportation difficulties encountered by the police personnel especially those living at far distances. In a similar but related development, the police also commissioned a brand new towing vehicle earmarked to clear the highways of parked vehicles. The procurement of the two vehicles were said to have been funded by the Welfare Fund of The Gambia Police Force.

On commissioning the vehicles, Interior Minister Sonko commended the Gambia Police Force for what he described as a laudable move. The bus, according to him, will go a long way in easing the transport difficulties of the officers. The welfare of those under command, according to the minister is paramount; thus commending the police for the move. He observed that transportation difficulty is a problem that officers encounter especially in the morning, saying that the commissioning of the bus will ease such constraints.
 
Commenting on the towing vehicle, he said that it will go a long way in addressing the problems of having lot of parked vehicles along the highways. With the coming of the towing vehicle, he expressed hope that difficulties associated with clearing the roads of parked vehicles will be a thing of the past. This, he added, will also reduce the tendency of road accidents given the fact that some accidents occurred as a result of vehicles parked on roads. The multipurpose-towing vehicle, he told the gathering, has the ability to carry broken-down vehicles on highways and transport them to any police station.

He also underscored the importance of road safety, describing it as paramount in our day to day activities. Minister Sonko recalled that there had been lot of accidents in the past, stressing that most of them were as a result of wrong parking and reckless driving.  "The target is to give out towing vehicles in all the regions. This way, we can manage our highways and keep the environment clean," he concluded. Other speakers also lauded the move by the police, and they were unanimous in their assertion that both the 29-seater bus and the towing vehicles will go a long way in achieving the respective objectives.