Liberia Government (Monrovia)
3 October 2008
The first batch of officers of the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) of the Liberia National Police has been awarded certificates following the completion of an eight-month intensive training program in anti-terrorism. The program, conducted with support provided by the governments of Liberia, the United States of America and Ireland, was held at the Police Academy in Paynesville on the outskirts of Monrovia.
In remarks, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf reiterated Government's determination to build a professional security force that will respect human rights while enforcing the law. The President said law enforcement personnel who have been entrusted with authority must first and foremost obey the law in order to win the trust and confidence of the people. "We urge you to remain loyal, committed and dedicated, that we can one day say, because of you, Liberia is today safer," the Liberian leader encouraged the graduates.
According to an Executive Mansion release, the President expressed the hope that once the strength of the force is increased some of the officers would be assigned to critical segments in rural parts of the country.
The President assured the Liberia National Police (LNP) and other law enforcement agencies of Government's commitment to providing logistics to help them carry out their functions.
The Chief Executive lauded trainers especially from partner countries, particularly the United States, Ireland and the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), for remaining actively engaged with Liberia's security sector reform.
Friday's graduating class, which numbers 139, is the first batch of graduates of a 500 strong Emergency Response Unit of the Liberia National Police Force.
The Charge d'Affairs of the United States Embassy, Mrs. Brooks Robinson, described the occasion as a good day of international cooperation. She disclosed that the United States will construct a first class training headquarters for the Emergency Response Unit. The project, which begins next month, is part of a USD$7 million package the government of the United States is providing for training and other activities of Unit.
Also speaking at the graduation ceremony were the Inspector-General of the Liberia National Police, Col. Beatrice Munah Sieh, Justice Minister Philip Banks, and United Nations Deputy Representative of the Secretary-General, Jordan Ryan. The officials expressed confidence that the new Police Emergency Response Unit will respond effectively to the security challenges of the country, particularly Monrovia. The UN, Mr. Ryan said, looks forward to working with the donor community for more support for the Police Emergency Response Unit and a broader Liberia National Police Force.
The graduation of the Unit follows the awarding of certificates on Wednesday to a little over a hundred personnel of the Special Security Service. The personnel underwent a three-month intensive training program in VIP protection.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Liberia Government. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
