EASTERN EQUATORIA – With crime on the rise and residents in Torit County feeling unsafe, the recent inauguration of new police facilities in Himodonge was warmly welcomed.

“As a community, we believe that this positive development will greatly improve security in our area,” said Luka Ohucholi Odu, landlord of the large plot of land hosting the multi-purpose law enforcement structures, funded by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.

While not the first police station in Eastern Equatoria to be financed and handed over by the peacekeeping mission, the Himodonge project is unique: the premises feature a spacious training ground and has been deliberately built to help recruit and train significantly more police officers later to be deployed across the state.

“The presence of this strong, well-equipped structure should make anyone considering a criminal career think twice – and reevaluate accordingly,” affirmed Major General James Manday Enock, Eastern Equatoria’s Police Commissioner, while giving the crowd gathered for the occasion a look of steely determination to crush crime.

The peacekeeping mission’s decision to fund the construction project was made following a joint request made by local authorities and citizens living in the area.

“This facility will play a crucial role in building trust between the police and the people they serve and protect, and a vital element of our mission’s mandate is to protect civilians,’ averred Guy Griffin, Head of the UNMISS Field Office in Torit. He added that improved security could both enhance civic and political space and prompt the voluntary and safe return of internally displaced persons.