21 December 2012 - UN Police (UNPOL) advisors are supporting the South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS) with a plan to combat crime in Juba during the upcoming holiday season.

In an interview with Radio Miraya, UNMISS Police Commissioner Fred Yiga said that over 2,000 SSNPS officers would be deployed throughout the South Sudanese capital, which would be divided into five zones headed by SSNPS major generals.

Police personnel in civilian clothes would be assigned to improve security in public places like churches and restaurants, said Mr. Yiga. UNPOL advisors would work closely with uniformed traffic police to promote safe driving practices.

"This is a time when everyone must be happy, everyone must feel good," said the mission's top police official.

Emphasizing that the primary responsibility for providing security rested with the SSNPS, Mr. Yiga said UNPOL advisors played a supporting role during their tours of duty in the country.

"We are here to support and advise for the development of police services in South Sudan," he said.

UNPOL is carrying out capacity-building courses for over 400 senior and middle-level SSNPS officers. It also helped South Sudanese authorities establish a diplomatic protection unit to bolster security for foreign diplomats assigned to Juba.

These activities are carried out under the terms of a memorandum of understanding signed by UNMISS and the Ministry of Interior last August for transformation of the SSNPS.