Friday June 22, 2018
A three-day workshop organized by African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to foster strong working relationship between police officers and community members has concluded in Baidoa, the administrative capital of South West state.
The workshop, which commenced on Tuesday, sought to enhance collaboration between the police and local residents through community policing to help promote peace and security in neighbourhoods.
Speaking at the end of the workshop, Superintendent of Police (SP) Offor Joseph Emeka, AMISOM Police Reform, Restructuring and Development Advisor, noted the seminar educated police officers and residents on the importance of community policing in maintaining of law and order in regions.
“Community policing is the technique that every country in the world has embraced as the best way to get the people policed and to provide security and safety for the people in the community,” SP Emeka explained.
He noted that Somalia, which is emerging from decades of war, stands to benefit enormously from the system and urged residents to embrace it, saying community policing has been implemented in many countries and proved to be successful.
The workshop is expected to help in the formulation of a document, which will help streamline the functions of the police and its relations with the public. Forty officers representing both the federal and state police attended the workshop.
Mohamed Ali Tabit, a youth leader who participated in the meeting, stressed the importance of nurturing a cordial working relationship between the police and community members in fighting crime and promoting peace and reconciliation.
“Police are important to the government just as they are to the community. The police maintain the security of the country, which also depends on the community. If the community fails to work with the police, the police will not perform their duties well,” Mr. Tabit observed.
He urged residents to work closely with the police and report suspicious activities to law enforcement officers.
Another participant, Shankaron Mohamed Dahir, expressed optimism that the knowledge gained will improve relations between the state police and members of the public in the region.
“We have attended a seminar on integration between the community and the police and we gained useful skills. We will continue working with the police until we get the desired results,” Ms. Dahir stated.
Her remarks were supported by Nadifa Ali Qalib, a police officer, who described the seminar as crucial, saying it will aid in fighting crime and ensuring peaceful coexistence in communities.
Mukhtar Mohamed Hussein, also a police officer, noted that the seminar will boost cooperation between the federal and state police and improve security in the regions
“We discussed ways of creating partnership between the federal police and the state police. We are delighted with the outcome of the seminar and the coordination of the forces” Mukhtar stated.