Building the institutional capacity of vital entities in the country is a key part of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), with the national police service being of particular importance. By training and mentoring ‘trainers’ within the force, such assistance is expected to be more sustainable.
“I have learned how to conduct presentations, how to plan, organize and implement a successful training programme, and how to coordinate efforts with other police units to work on road safety,” said Captain Sabah Ali Adam, a traffic police officer who recently participated in a ten-day course given by UN police officers.
The training, offered to 40 senior South Sudanese law-enforcement agents, tackled a multitude of skills, including valuable advice on how to give workshops, international policing best practices, monitoring and evaluation of both theoretical and practical lessons, and various aspects on how to respect human rights and prevent violations of them.
Major Shibly Billy enjoyed the bits about presentation skills the most.
“I used to be fearful of speaking in front of an audience, but now I believe that I am much better equipped to overcome such stage fright,” he said, adding that the lessons he received on sexual and gender-based violence were also useful for his work.
Encouraging the general public to call 112 to report crimes, Major Billy stressed that trust and cooperation between the police and the communities they serve are essential for a peaceful environment to rein.
“Without help from civilians we cannot do our work. If good citizens don’t let us know about criminal activities or suspicious behaviour in their communities, we are unable to respond effectively. We depend on each other,” he concluded.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
