Rain and darkness will no longer deter Torit’s long arms of the law from preventing crimes or chasing down the perpetrators of any unlawful behaviour still taking place on their watch.

Gum boots, torchlights and raincoats donated to some 60 South Sudanese police officers by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan will go a long way to put an end to nights, especially rainy ones, being moments of joy and opportunities for those criminally inclined.

“I’m the officer-in-charge at the Iluhum police outpost, where the rate of nightly thefts is high, especially when it’s raining. When it’s dark it’s like we don’t exist there because we cannot help, but now [with the equipment we have received] we will no longer be prone to exposure to dangerous criminals in the dark. Now we can respond to any night emergency,” said Pasqual Balu as he examined his new bag full of protective gears.

Sunglasses, made to serve the special protection needs of the eyes of police officers, were also part of the gift packages. They are expected to add to improved investigative skills, and to a look worthy of any special agent.

Now, equipment without proper professional know-how is far from sufficient for law enforcing (or other) entities. Taking this complicating factor into account, UN police and human rights officers serving with the peacekeeping mission made the most of two days by offering two batches of South Sudanese police officers a wide-ranging training.

Designed to assist the local police force in protecting citizens and their property, and thus in line with the UNMISS mandate of protecting civilians, the crash course included topics such as the basic roles and responsibilities of the police, intelligence gathering, crime scene investigations and the protection of children in armed conflict.

 “This [training] is a great source of motivation for us, especially for us female officers. We have been facing challenges to move through busy roads and during the night hours because we have lacked necessary protective gear for such operations,” said Mary Idita, a 24-year-old law enforcer, while she confirmed that the size of her acquired boots was correct.

Fortunately, they proved to be a perfect fit.

Proper procedure while making arrests, and an introduction to human rights in general, were other key parts of the workshops. How exactly is a police officer supposed to balance the obvious need for self-defence with the human rights citizens, including suspected or confirmed criminals, are entitled to?

“When you arrest suspects, always remember that they [those detained by the police] are innocent until proven guilty before the court of law, so work on making sure to protect their rights in the course of your duty,” Denis Chenwi, an UNMISS human rights officer, advised his audience.

Most South Sudanese police officers are former soldiers with limited knowledge about policing. To improve standards, both UN police and the United Nations Development Programme assist the national police force with trainings and other kinds of support.