Somalia Police on study tour in Sierra Leone
Awoko
Thursday, February 28, 2013
A high powered delegation from Somalia Police Force (SPF) and the
African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) are currently in Sierra Leone
on a study visit, to acquaint themselves with the successes of peace in
the country.
The team which arrived on Monday comprises of SPF Commissioner, General
Sharif Shekuna Maye and other three senior officers, accompanied by
AMISOM police Commissioner and AMISOM Police Reform, Restructuring and
Development Coordinator.
Sierra Leone has been identified as a record success story that Somalia could benefit from by sharing experiences.
Head of Police Media, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Ibrahim Samura
said that the team considered Sierra Leone as post-conflict country
that has made tremendous improvement in consolidating peace and
stability.
ASP Samura added that the purpose of the visit is to learn the best
policing practices in Sierra Leone which led to a peaceful society,
adding that Sierra Leone is a success story in the international world.
The Head of the Media, said that since the end of the war “the SLP has
been maintaining peace and stability in the country and there has been a
lot of transformation and restructuring” .
He said the Police has the Family Support Unit (FSU), the Media
Department, the Transnational Crime Unit, the Community Relations
Unit, the Corporate Services Department and the Legal and Justice
Department.
He added that the team is in Sierra Leone to look at the Sierra Leone
Police Force as a case study because Somalia is also faced with a bloody
civil war which has lasted for over two decades.
ASP Samura said that the team has visited the Inspector General, Francis
Munu where they were briefed, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the
Vice President and have also held talks with the Office of the National
Security.
He said when the team returns back to Somalia, they will be able to
consolidate peace and maintain stability. He noted that there are some
parts of Somalia like Mogadishu, which is 95% free from Al-Shabaab and
other areas that have been liberated and as they are liberating, they
want to also consolidate primacy in those areas. This he said can be
done through capacitating their police force and before doing that, they
want to come to a post conflict country.
The Inspector General of Police, Francis Munu held discussions and
exchanged ideas on key aspects such as civil war experiences and
challenges; post conflict recovery reconstruction, with a specific focus
on re-building of the SLP from ashes of war; consultations with
ordinary members of Sierra Leone communities to learn about the local
needs Policing Concept; visistations to selected police stations and
other establishments; and the role of the international community in
supporting the efforts and processes.
