P-au-P, July 3, 2024 [AlterPresse] — The success of the fight against armed gangs in Haiti requires strengthening the capacities of the Haitian National Police (PNH) and its reconciliation with Haitian communities.
This was stated by Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille, in an exclusive interview with Radio France Internationale (Rfi), during his first official visit abroad, to the United States, since taking office, on Wednesday, June 12, 2024.
“Security is not just a police matter. It is an intervention that must be much more comprehensive. The success of the operation and its sustainability can only be achieved when the police are fully reconciled with the community,” he argues, while also acknowledging that the capacity of the police institution must be strengthened.
“We have just graduated 455 police officers and specialized forces. We will continue to do this systematically,” says Conille, who is currently traveling in the United States, to re-galvanize, to a certain extent, the international community around the Haitian issue, he emphasizes.
Coming mainly from the 33rd promotion of the PNH, 50 female police officers and 405 male police officers graduated on Tuesday, June 18, 2024after 12 weeks of intensive training at the National Police School in Haiti.
They joined the Intervention and Law Enforcement Corps (Cimo), the Departmental Law Enforcement Unit (Udmo), the Temporary Anti-Gang Unit (Utag) and the Border Police (Polifront).
These specialized units of the PNH will be placed in the appropriate material and psychological conditions, which will allow them to fight armed gangs, dismantle them and promote the free movement of people throughout Haiti, the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) and Prime Minister Garry Conille have committed themselves, once again.
Speaking to RFI, the Prime Minister was keen to stress that the PNH has never stopped intervening and has never stopped protecting the population, while promising that the State will regain control of the entire national territory in the not too distant future.
The mission of the multinational force, of which a first contingent of just over 200 police officers are already present in Haiti, is to support the PNH, he emphasizes.
A few Kenyan police officers have begun patrolling only certain areas of downtown Port-au-Prince as New offensives have been launched by gangs, a week after the arrival of the multinational security support mission.
“We are the ones who will decide when, in what context and how this support will be necessary and will have added value. Obviously, we will discuss with them to see how they will be able to help us,” says Conille.
Furthermore, the head of the transitional government believes that the support we have received so far from the international community deserves to be reviewed.
“We need support that is much more sustainable and that will ultimately lead us to the resolution of our problems, something we have never had until now.” [emb gp apr 03/07/2024 11 :10]
