JSDP train Police on Juvenile Justice strategy

Fifty  (50) police personnel from the Family Support Unit (FSU) of the Sierra Leone police (SLP) force from Tongo, Mano Junction, Blama, Segbwema, Kailahun, Tankoro, Motema, Daru and Kenema police divisions in the eastern region have ended a three days training workshop funded by UNDP under the Peace Building Fund (PBF).
Earlier at the opening session the Director for Family Support Unit (FSU) from Freetown ASP Isha Bangura in her opening remarks first welcomed all participants from their various stations and encouraged them to take the training very seriously. She says the training is on a national juvenile Justice Strategy and FSU manual. She said some modules of the FSU manual were piloted in Freetown and not all officers were fortunate to be present – that is why they are now going round the country to give regional training starting from Kenema in the East, then South, North and Western Area so as to benefit all personnel’s of the FSU of the SLP.  She called on participants to take the training very seriously and to make sure that they take the knowledge that they will gain to their respective communities of operation.  In his contribution the Programme Officer of Justice and Human Right Sector of UNDP Elvis Enoh –Tonyi admonished participants and disclosed that there are a series of training programmes in the pipe line for the force and this is not the first and last one but termed it as a continuation of previous trainings.   The training he said is part of the support of the UNDP National Peace Building Fund (PBF), which is being managed by UNDP in Sierra Leone.  In collaboration with other activities in other agencies the UNDP will continue its support of the Human Right Commission. He disclosed that under the same fund they have just completed the training of local court officials in all districts in Sierra Leone and during which they have trained police prosecutors and now they are training the FSU.   Facilitating the training were Mr. Morlu Brewah from the JSDP and Mrs. Olayinka Laggah too from JSDP who spoke about the principle of abuse and national juvenile Justice strategy and Abdul Manaf Kemokai from Defense for Children International (DCI) who dealt with the protection of child offenders/ victims/ witnesses. The certification of participants formed part of the training.