Newly deployed Ugandan police peacekeepers have concluded their induction into the AU Mission in Somalia, following an eight-day orientation workshop, held in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.
The police officers from the Formed Police Unit arrived in Somalia early August and will be holding joint operations with their Somali counterparts, as part of a mentorship programme, aimed at enhancing the skills the Somali police officers.
I want to emphasize that while we carry out these responsibilities, discipline should be our watch-word. Let us not forget self-discipline. Let us not forget the discipline that has been imbibed in us through various training programs right from home, AMISOM Police Chief of Staff Mr. Rex Dundun cautioned the newly deployed officers.
We are trained to be law enforcement agents and we are trained to abide by rules and regulations. In AMISOM we have rules and regulations. Let us uphold the rules and regulations.
The team of police officers is the sixth Formed Police Unit (FPU), to deploy in Somalia.
Do not leave with a tainted and dented name. We are here to assist the Somalis not to contribute to their woes, he stressed.
Mr. Dundun officiated the closing ceremony of the induction course last Friday.
Present at the ceremony were the Police Operations Coordinator at AMISOM, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Daniel Ali Gwambal, the Contingent Commander of the Uganda Formed Police Unit, Superintendent of Police (SP) Denis Anywar Reuben and his Nigerian counterpart Uba Shehu.
Dundun commended Uganda for having one of the best police training programs and urged the officers to abide by the Mission’s ideals.
ACP Gwambal confirmed that the officers had demonstrated commitment during the training and were ready to serve.
They have taken what they have been taught here very seriously and I wish to remind them that as officers; and they have pledged their commitment and dedication for the attainment of the Mission’s mandate, Gwambal observed.
The AMISOM police component is mandated to provide operational support to the Somali Police Force (SPF), to elevate it to internationally recognized standards.
The Formed Police Unit works jointly with the Somali Police Force to carrying out community policing activities, counter terrorism operations, public order management, explosive disposals; and cordon and search operations, among others.
Uganda is one of the six Police Contributing Countries (PCCs) to AMISOM, others being Nigeria, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Zambia.