20 April 2015 - To help keep law and order in Mundri East County in Western Equatoria State, UNMISS today handed over a newly constructed police post to county authorities.

Following a request from the local community to have a police presence in the area, the police post consisting of five offices was built by Relief and Development Action Aid, a local non-governmental organization, with funding from the mission’s Quick Impact Projects.

“We are very grateful (that we now have a police post here),” said UNMISS Relief, Reintegration & Protection Officer Celina Poni Wani. “… There has been a lot of instability brought by the people who are intruders.”

Noting that the county commissioner had already pledged to bring police officers to the post, Ms. Wani said this would enhance peace and security and would in turn enable the local community to cultivate, send children to school and facilitate delivery of services to vulnerable people.

County Commissioner January Johnny said the police post would be particularly useful at the county border with Central Equatoria State, where cattle keepers frequently caused instability.

The Paramount Chief of Mundri East County, Liberty Marawa, also commended the contribution made by UNMISS, adding that lack of enough police officers had previously hampered operations in the county court.

He gave an example of times when he had passed orders for the arrest of suspected criminals, but there was insufficient personnel to implement the orders.