Somalia: AMISOM trains police officers on handling riots

BAIDOA, Somalia - A total of 30-police officers drawn from various stations in the South West state have successfully completed a 10-day Public Order course in Baidoa, the administrative capital of the state.

The training organized by AMISOM Police focused on crowd control, handling, and management of public crimes, including riots and violent demonstrations.

Tresphord Kasale, AMISOM Police Coordinating Officer for South West State, said the training would equip the forces with the desired skills to manage the order in public spaces.

“The purpose of this course is to impart knowledge on our local police officers on how to manage crowds. As you may be aware we are talking of transition, so we have to ensure that we empower our officers on how to manage crowds and as the same time you are aware we are heading towards the elections period, we want our officers to be fully equipped with knowledge on how to manage crowds,” said Kasale.

Trainees, Hassan Mohamed Abdirahman and Aden Mohamed Bashir said they had gained useful insights on Public Order Management, during the training, which ended on Friday.

“We gained important skills from the training. It’s parts of the skills-sets which the police force is required to have,” said Hassan.

While echoing the same sentiments, Aden said participants would be tasked to train their colleagues on how to maintain order in public.