Community Policing, AMISOM Efforts Working For Somalia

Highlight

Towards the end of October 2014, Somalia’s police forces in collaboration with AMISOM troops launched a community policing program in Mogadishu to enhance cooperation between the forces and civilians at grassroots to root out the Al Shabaab terror group.

Somali authorities have acknowledged the fact that peace is improving in Mogadishu due to the collaboration between the police and the population in Banadir in sharing intelligence with the troops against Al Shabaab militants.

More districts in Somalia have embraced the policing strategy including Hawl Wadag District, one of Mogadishu’s oldest districts.

Summary

Community policing is a security strategy that has had marked achievements on the war against terror offshoots and insurgency in Somalia’s immediate country, Kenya.

The program also happens to be working for Somalia. Somali authorities have acknowledged the fact that peace is improving in Mogadishu due to the collaboration between the police and the population in Banadir. More districts in Somalia have embraced the policing strategy including Hawl Wadag District, one of Mogadishu’s oldest districts.

The Somali police and their AMISOM partners during the 2014 launch announced plans to recruit volunteers in neighborhoods across the country to serve as liaisons between their officers and the communities they serve.

The program is part of an on-going campaign by the SPF and AMISOM Police, to build partnerships with communities, aimed at crime prevention, fast tracking reporting of crimes and enhancing security.

During their updates, the stakeholders discuss homegrown solutions to crime and related concerns in ensuring civilians keep their neighborhoods safe and secure.

The SPF and AMISOM officers also discuss means of enhancing cooperation with community, to enable sharing of intelligence information, key to the fighting crime.

Forecast

Community policing is a strategy with potential capability is stemming terrorism from the basic grass root. If taken to the simplest unit in Somalia of being concerned who lives near who and their general concerns, the fight against militants is bound to take a positive angle.