Somali Police In Baidoa Ordered To Stop Chewing Khat

Somali police officers in Baidoa have been told to stop chewing khat while on duty to maintain law and order.

Somalia Police Force Commander-in-Chief, Mohamed Sheikh Hassan Hamud who reached Baidoa, the capital administrative of South-west State, said that that it is important to form national cohesive force as improve the security of the region.

Hamud pointed out that when Somali police officers stop chewing mild stimulant, Khat, it would be step towards restore discipline to the police force and Somalia would get capable soldiers.

“The ban of the stimulant drug will improve the image and performance of the law and order maintaining agency which is recovering from decades of civil war” he said.

He added “Our next step will be touring other regions to oversee the conditions of Somali police soldiers and to pass the massage to ban police officers from chewing Khat”

He highlighted that Baidoa has grown and was urbanized therefore it would need more police posts, he also commended the police section operating in the town.

On 18th may this year, Mohamed Sheikh Hassan Hamud said at a police academy in Mogadishu that the green leaves, traditionally chewed in the East African country are detrimental to the discipline of officers on tour of duty.

“Any police officer whom [we] find Khat in his pockets will be warned initially, secondly he would face punishment and for the third time he will be charged at military court,” Hamud told Police.

Khat traders in neighbouring Kenya and Ethiopia are dependent on millions of dollars from Somalia sales.