Somali Magazine 30 Aug 2023- The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) Community Policing Unit met with partners on Sunday to examine tactics and provide support to the Somalia Police Force (SPF) in the battle against crime.
Col. Abdullahi Omar, SPF Director for Community Policing, Pekka Kokkonen, Deputy Police Commissioner for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), and a representative from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) attended the meeting.
ATMIS and its partners are assisting SPF in establishing a robust community policing unit as a means of involving locals in the fight against terrorism and other crimes in their areas.
“There is an urgent need for community orientation on the concept and visibility of SPF community policing officers in the community to make police responses to criminal incidents easier, hence the call to train more SPF officers,” said Col. Omar, SPF Director of Community Policing.
According to studies, solid mutual trust relationships between police agencies and the communities they serve are crucial to preserving public safety and successful policing.
Col. Omar stated that the SPF has already put in place a number of measures to educate the people about community policing, mostly via sports and entertainment.