The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) will support the Somali Police Force (SPF) establish communication offices in all the federal states to help improve relations between security officers and the public.
The announcement was made, yesterday, by the Acting AMISOM Police Training Coordinator, Leon Ngulube, while closing a one-week training course for Somali police officers.
“As AMISOM police together with your police command, we sat to see how best we can operationalize your offices also bearing in mind the need to develop personnel who will be able to be voices of the Somali Police Force,” Mr. Ngulube stated.
The communication offices will be managed by trained officers who will be responsible of keeping the public informed and educated on SPF activities and other government matters.
Also present at the event were senior SPF officers, led by Gen. Hassan Alasow Mahamed, the Director of Training and Planning, who presided over the event.
During the one-week training, the participants were taken through a range of topics, among them, fostering relations between the police and the media, social media as a tool of information dissemination, public relations and media awareness and practice.
Mr. Ngulube urged the officers to apply what they have learnt in their daily duties to help SPF communicate with the public effectively.
“We hope that you the trained officers in this respect will be able to explain and disseminate police achievements and counter information and the dissemination of ideological based information aimed at disrupting the milestones and achievements that you have made in the past as Somali Police Force,” he added.
Mr. Mahamed lauded AMISOM Police for the continuous training aimed at building the capacity of the SPF to enable it perform its core function of keeping law and order effectively.
“We will recommend for the establishment of communications departments in every federal member state and the lessons gained from here is crucial for enhancing relations between the police and the public,” he added.
The Police Commissioner of HirShabelle, Col. Aden Urur Abdi, who was also present, thanked AMISOM for its continuous support to the SPF and urged the officers to work together to secure Somalia.
“I appeal to the police in Somalia, irrespective of where they are to work together so that we can build and reform the police and have a unified force,” Col. Abdi noted.
Speaking on behalf of participants, Col. Jaamal Ahmed Hassan, noted that the training had equipped them with knowledge and skills that will enable them discharge their duties more efficiently.
“When we return to our respective federal member states, we intend to put into practice what we have learnt so that our people, who have high expectations in us, benefit,” Mr. Hassan stated.
