CLAIM: The Liberia National Police (LNP) is ranked the 10th best police institution in Africa and 70th globally in 2026.
SOURCE: A statement issued by the Liberia National Police was circulated on social media.
VERDICT: FALSE
FULL TEXT : The Liberia National Police made a sweeping assertion in a recent press statement, claiming that the LNP had been ranked the 10th best police institution in Africa and 70th globally. In the statement, the LNP declared, "...This reflects steady progress in institutional reform and service delivery. The latest ranking marks a substantial improvement from the 2017/2018 WISPI assessment."
The claim quickly gained traction on social media, with supporters of the police institution celebrating what they described as a major milestone in Liberia's security sector reform. However, questions about the authenticity and sourcing of the ranking prompted closer scrutiny.
VERIFICATION : The Stage Media (TSM) examined the claim against the index the LNP cited, the World Internal Security & Police Index (WISPI), published by the International Police Science Association (IPSA) in collaboration with the Institute for Economics and Peace.
Finding 1: No 2026 WISPI Report Exists
A review of the WISPI's official page shows only two publicly accessible reports: the 2016 report and the 2023 report. As of the publication of this fact-check, no 2026 WISPI report ranking police institutions regionally or globally is available on the official IPSA website or anywhere else in the public domain. The LNP's claim of a 2026 ranking is therefore unsubstantiated by the very index it cited.
Finding 2: Liberia's Actual Rankings Are Near the Bottom
A review of the two existing WISPI reports reveals that in the 2016 report, Liberia ranked 22nd from the bottom with a score of 0.432, and in the 2023 report, it ranked 15th from the bottom with a score of 0.310, far from the claimed 10th in Africa and 70th globally.
Finding 3: The Afro-barometer Tells a Different Story
An independent check against the most recent Afrobarometer police professionalism rankings published in January 2024 using 2021/2023 survey data covering 40 African countries further contradicts the LNP's claim. That report ranked Mauritius 10th in police professionalism, not Liberia. Liberia ranked 34th out of 40 African countries surveyed for police professionalism (see page 8 of the Afrobarometer report).
Finding 4: LNP Recalled Statement
Verity Online News, which first reported on this inconsistency, made multiple attempts to reach LNP police spokesman Sam Collins for clarification or a source for the ranking, but he could not be reached.
However, TSM similarly found that The LNP withdrew its publication, claiming that the LNP was ranked 10th in Africa and 70th globally in the 2026 World Internal Security and Police Index (WISPI).
Meanwhile, Verity Online News published an editorial raising the same questions about the LNP's claim and followed it with a full investigative piece concluding that the ranking could not be verified.
The WISPI index, which measures police performance in four domains, institutional capability, security operations, security outcomes, and the legal framework governing human rights, released its first report at the United Nations in Geneva in November 2016, and its second revised report in July 2023. No third edition has been released or announced on IPSA's official platform.
CONCLUSION : The claim by the Liberia National Police that it ranks 10th-best in Africa and 70th globally in 2026 is FALSE. The index cited by the LNP, the World Internal Security and Police Index, has no publicly available 2026 edition.
The two existing WISPI reports (2016 and 2023) place Liberia near the bottom of global police rankings, not among the top tier. An independent Afrobarometer ranking additionally places Liberia 34th out of 40 African nations for police professionalism.
