Bukavu, 11 July 2011 – A ceremony marking the conclusion of the training in community policing for the first batch of Congolese National Police (PNC) in the Sud-Kivu province was held in Bukavu on 9 July. The training was held from 13 June to 9 July 2011 and was organized for a dozen officers and non-commissioned officers by the United Nations Police (UNPOL) and funded by the British Cooperation.

Following the ceremony, this first group of trainees will have the responsibility to impart their newly acquired knowledge to their peers. This community-based approach in police training is part of a pilot project for the provinces of Kasai Occidental (South west) and Bas-Congo (west).

A similar training session for 279 PNC officers drawn from different territories in Sud-Kivu is expected to be held soon. This year, UNPOL has already trained close to 400 national police officers in the Sud-Kivu province alone.

Alain Likota/ MONUSCO