BOR – Protection of civilians requires more than being present.
For police to effectively prevent crime, respond to emergencies and protect those most vulnerable, communities must have enough trust to report incidents, especially sensitive cases such as sexual and gender-based violence.
In Bor, United Nations Police officers serving with the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan are helping to strengthen community policing by training 40 national counterparts, including 15 women, in how to respond to emerging security and social challenges while strengthening their engagement with the communities they serve.
“We understand that trust is crucial for us to effectively protect our communities, so we are excited to employ the knowledge we gained,” said First Lieutenant, Agoot Philip Yai.
Warrant Officer, Nyandit Bol, who is deployed with the Special Protection Unit, stressed that police officers handling cases involving women, children and other vulnerable people need to have the skills and empathy to respond without discrimination or stereotypes.
“Police cannot effectively protect communities if people are afraid or unwilling to share information. This training incentivizes us to work closely with local authorities and communities to strengthen cooperation and trust.”
With cattle raids and other security threats increasing, the training came at a crucial time.
“Policing is all about professionalism which also means treating civilians with dignity and respect, particularly when dealing with vulnerable people and sensitive cases such as gender-based violence,” explained UNPOL Commander in Bor, Mwenda Musonda.
For police officers, community trust helps gaining the information they need to prevent incidents before they become larger security threats while creating more secure environment for their investigations.
Accordingly, public confidence has to be the center of any police activities.
When communities know that their concerns will be handled professionally, confidentially and without discrimination, their confidence allows police officers to be more than responders to incidents, but rather a trusted partner in preventing violence and protecting civilians.
By Mach Samuel
