Wau state personnel trained on community policing

February 09, 2016 (WAU) – A five-day program on community policing, targeting 30 law enforcement personnel is currrently underway in South Sudan’s new state of Wau.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) organised the program, seeking to combat crimes in communities owing to absence of the police.

The aim, officials said, is to empower police personnel and community members on the concept of community-oriented policing with specific focus on establishing functional police community relations committees.

The program will reportedly equip those in attendance with practical experience on how to implement community policing activities across the state and to enhance capacity of police personnel and community members to improve coordination, enabling easy access to policing services.

Also adopted is training on both traffic awareness and conflict resolution measures.

Community policing is the system of allocating police officers to particular areas so that they become familiar with the local inhabitants and cooperate together in combating crimes committed against the civil population.

It is, in most communities, seen as a strategy of policing that focuses on police building ties and working closely with members of the communities.

(ST)