AMISOM Police Commences Second Phase of Training of Somali Police Force Recruits in Baidoa
A group of 200 new recruits for the Somali Police Force commenced training in Baidoa on Tuesday 26 January 2016, in a programme that will last three months and benefit 180 male and 20 female police officers.
This is the second batch of Somali police being trained for the Interim South West Administration, under AMISOM tutelage.
The first of 200 police officers passed out last year and were deployed in various parts of the region. AMISOM is still mentoring them to enable them have the necessary skills to perform their functions effectively.
In his address during the official opening ceremony of the training programme, AMISOM Police Commissioner Brigadier Anand Pillay said AMISOM Police will continue to train and support the Somali Police Force (SPF).
“We will continue training SPF until there is a complete police institution where there is command, control, supervision and accountability,” he stressed.
The Commissioner reiterated AMISOM’s enthusiasm in participating in the second phase of the training programme, adding that the first group that peace dividends could already be felt in the communities that the police officers were deployed.
The ceremony was presided over by the Interim South West Administration Acting President and Minister of Disarmament, Reintegration and Rehabilitation, Mr. Hassan Hussein Mohamed, Speaker of the Regional Assembly Abdukadir Maalim Sheikhuna, representatives of the Federal Somali police, AMISOM military representatives, Interim South West Administration members of parliament and ministers.
Before being selected, the trainees underwent stringent selection process, to ensure only the best are included in the programme.
AMISOM has deployed officers to assist in establishing police institutions in the regional states, mainly coming up with the necessary structures of command and control and helping in the establishment of police stations.
AMISOM is also aiding the SPF come up with rules and regulations for supervision and promotion of transparency and accountability in the security department.
The Regional Police Commissioner, Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Maalim Kutub, thanked AMISOM and the donors for their overwhelming support.
“We thank all those who had a hand in organizing and preparing the programme. Enormous efforts have been put in place to prepare for the training and I thank the Federal Government, Somali Police Commissioner, the police command for planning and training, AMISOM and the United Nations for their unwavering support,” Kutub said.
The training is funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) through the African Union Mission in Somalia Police Component.