NAIROBI, April 22 (Xinhua) — The first police officers from northeast and south Somalia trained in decades has graduated from the recently established Armo Police Academy in Puntland, northern part of the Horn of African nation, UNDP said Saturday.
The UNDP Somalia Office in Nairobi said in a statement that the154 cadets, of whom 19 are female, became the first home-trained police in the country since it lapsed into anarchy 15 years ago.
The statement said the police officers will be deployed to serve in Baidoa, where the Extraordinary Session of the Somali Transitional Federal Parliament is currently taking place, as well as newly constructed police stations for the protection of internally displaced persons in Garowe and Bossaso.
“The significance of this day cannot be overemphasized,” Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi said during the passing out parade late Friday, according to the statement.
“These 154 police officers of the Somali Republic are the foundation of the return of rule of law to our country and the respect of human rights of every child, woman and man. This is a day that we are proud to witness,” Gedi added.
The recruits who were drawn from across the country joined the academy on December 1, 2005 and the training was led by three Ugandan police seconded to UNDP.
To ensure quality and uniformity across the police force, the UNDP said the challenging training course has been a continuation of the one developed by the Rule of Law and Security Program at the Mandera Police Academy in Somaliland covering law enforcement and international standards of human rights.
It also covers community policing, basic police training, investigations, nonviolent disarmament, physical fitness, self-defense and discipline while computer lessons were also provided for female cadets, the statement said.
“The commitment demonstrated by the cadets must be applauded as this is not an easy training course. Community policing is a new type of policing that has the respect of human rights at its core,” UNDP Somalia acting Resident Representative Eric Overvest said.
“The responsibility they have now is immense and they must be supported by all the Somali people including the authorities, civil society, business and religious leaders to discharge their duties honorably,” Overvest added.
Sources say in the next few weeks about 100 of the Armo graduates will be flown to the government’s base Jowhar. There they will be joined by 200 other police officers, who are being trained in Kenya; thus forming the basis for what the government hopes will swell to a 12,000-strong force. Enditem
Source: Xinhu, April 22, 2006
