Kinshasa, 23 June 2015: Within the framework of support to ensure the security of the elections, MONUSCO Police developed four hundred (400) modules for the Congolese National Police (PNC) refresher course. The modules include eight (8) subjects intended for the Technical Group to organize Safe Elections (GTSE). The modules were handed to the Police Commissioner Isidore ODIMULA.

The ceremony was held in the presence of the Deputy Advisor for Police matters from the Police Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Shoaib Dastgir, during his working visits to MONUSCO from 22 to 30 June 2015; the Chief of MONUSCO Police Component, General Pascal CHAMPION and members of the GTSE units also attended the ceremony.

GTSE Coordinator highlighted that ensuring the security of the elections has a legal foundation on the decree number 05/026 of 06 May 2015, bearing on the operational plan for ensuring the security of the electoral process. This decree forms the legal basis of all the activities pertaining to the organization and security of the elections, further said Mr. ODIMULA.

Responding to Mr. Shoaib Dastgir’s questions on the issues of the number of the National Police staff to be deployed for the purposes of ensuring the security of the elections, the needs in terms of equipment, the level of the training of the Congolese Police and the role of the United Nations Police in the electoral process, the Police Chief Commissioner ODIMULA said PNC was assigned the mission to ensure the security of the entire electoral process in accordance with the calendar published by the National Electoral Body CENI.

He further said the provincial and local elections would require more police staff members to deploy in all the sites simultaneously. With reference to the needs in terms of equipment, both individual and collective equipment, GTSE coordinator said one hundred thousand (100,000) police members will be needed. He said the budget required to secure the electoral process 2015-2016 is estimated at roughly fifty three million $; he highlighted that no disbursement has been made thus far.

Regarding the training, the Police Chief Commissioner specified that GTSE continues to benefit from the expertise and technical support of the United Nations Police and expressed the hope to see this good collaboration continues throughout the electoral process. He further said that with the 2006 and 2011 elections, a large number of police members have acquired some basics from the trainings and refresher courses received on ensuring the security of the electoral process. Mr. ODIMULA also said for the upcoming elections, trainings are scheduled for the twenty (20) sites identified across the country.

Maintenance and Restoration of Peace and Order, Professional Intervention Technics and Acts, Human Rights, Ethics and Police Professional Code of Ethics, General Intelligence, Rescuing, Electoral Process and Self-Defense are the eight subjects included in the 400 modules on securing the elections developed by MONUSCO Police Training Coordination.

Haroun Hassane and Samuel Fotabe