16 February 2015 - South Sudanese officers were needed to run UNMISS-built police posts in creating secure conditions for Juba's displaced people to return home, the UN Police (UNPOL) chief said today.

Speaking to Radio Miraya in Juba, UN Police Commissioner Fred Yiga noted that UNMISS had handed over one police post in Juba and plans were underway to hand over two more to the South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS).

The police posts, built with UNMISS Quick Impact Project funds, were established as part of efforts to build trust in the SSNPS and encourage internally displaced persons (IDPs) to return home.

“What is going to happen is the IGP (Inspector General of Police) is going to place carefully selected police officers in these police posts,” he said. “These are the officers that will put on the new image … that will attract people to go back home … and assure communities that they can still live comfortably in their areas… without being molested.”

Mr. Yiga said the role of police based in the posts would be to assure people they would handle their complaints at any time. “Any time is police time. This is the assurance that these police posts are going to give.”

The UNPOL chief said that SSNPS has also recently received 14 all-terrain vehicles from UN Women. The four-wheeled motor-bikes would be used to determine if and where vulnerable people were being harassed by lawbreakers.

Asked why IDPs were still in UNMISS bases and what interventions the mission had planned to encourage them to leave, Mr. Yiga stressed that leaving the compounds had to be voluntary.

He added that a major UNPOL task was to allow community leaders in protection sites to ask questions which could then be shared with SSNPS leadership.

“UNPOL is regularly speaking to these people,” he said. “We are going to let them know that nobody is going to force them, but … that the police and the government have said people can go back home and they will be protected.”

Mr. Yiga said police posts would still need support from different players in areas such as water sources, washrooms and food for police officers.

He also said there were no immediate plans for UNPOL to conduct joint patrols with the SSNPS and that all interventions would be “step-by-step”.

“If we keep jumping, then we are going to get it wrong, but if we make a strong foundation into this programme, we’re likely to succeed,” he said. “Now that we have police posts and we are asking the IGP to give us police officers to work in those posts, we are going to orient (them) in issues of human rights, respect for people, conduct, discipline and accountability. Then the patrols will come.”