UNMISS Police Officers Give Counterparts in Rajaf Much-Wanted Refresher Course

How to best prevent crime, make arrests and handle suspects and everyone else with respect - there was plenty to ponder for police officers in Rajaf during a capacity building session offered by their UN counterparts (Photo: Michael Wondi/UNMISS)

Crime prevention, making arrests, protecting and treating both suspects and survivors of violence humanely– these are all important, everyday policing duties. To keep 40 of their South Sudanese counterparts in Raja County sharp, UN Police serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) just conducted a refresher training on these and related skills.

“We need more opportunities like this one to help us improve the way we do our work. Handling female detainees, for example, is something that takes regular practice,” said Sergeant Angelina Basha Mabada, one of the beneficiaries of the three-day workshop.

Building the capacity of both the South Sudanese police service and other components of the country’s justice system is a key part of the peacekeeping mission’s mandate. It is also an activity that is applauded by the national law enforcement agents themselves.

“Theft, domestic violence and rapes are the most common crimes here in Raja County, and the sensitive nature of the latter ones makes the dealing with both suspected perpetrators and survivors challenging. Now my colleagues and I must implement what we have been learning,” said First Lieutenant Hashim Bandas, whose thoughts were echoed by Colonel Augustino Francis Hussein, the local Police Commissioner.

“We are investigating three cases of rape at the moment and need to step up. Now, that goes for our citizens as well, because they must report suspected incidents that they are aware of to us,” he said.