AMISOM Police and SPF train officers to be deployed in the newly recovered districts

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has today pledged full support to the Somali Police Force (SPF) as it begins training of officers to be deployed in the newly recovered areas in Central Somalia. The 150 police officers are to be deployed in the areas of Mahas, Tiyeeglow and Kurtunwarey, among others, for restoration of law and order.

The two weeks training was today launched by the Minister of Internal Security Abdirisak Omar Mohamed at the General Kahiye Police Academy in Mogadishu.

Speaking at the function, Abdirisak Omar Mohamed emphasized the importance of both discipline and education of the police with regard to service delivery.

“The community will work and collaborate with you when you behave in a good manner, respect and show that you are one of them. When you do that, they will work with you,” Abdirisak Omar Mohamed said.

The training is to be conducted by the AMISOM Police component, with the deployment upon graduation aimed at increasing police presence as well as check crime in these areas.

The Commissioner of the Somali Police Force Maj. Gen. Mohamed Sheikh Hassan said the training is part of effort at transforming the SPF into a more efficient force and appealed for more support from both AMISOM and the international community.

“In order to be close to the community and in order to gain the trust of the community and in order to enhance community policing we have to capacitate our None Commissioned Officers (NCOs), especially the women who are no more than 70 out of the 300 recruits. Therefore I would like to thank you for your participation on this occasion of training Somali Police Force who will be deployed in the newly liberated areas,” Maj. Gen. Mohamed Sheikh Hassan said.

AMISOM Police Commissioner Anand Pillay said the field training will equip the policemen with basic policing skills key to engagement of communities to ensure safety.

“Once in those areas we will establish policing and ensure community safety and we from AMISOM and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) will ensure complete support in those areas,” AMISOM Commissioner of Police Anand Pillay said, pledging more support towards revamping police infrastructure in the areas.

The areas for deployment were recently recovered from the Al Shabaab through joint operations by the Somali National Army and AMISOM forces.