THE International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hosted a pre-deployment training for 18 Fiji Police Force officers destined for South Sudan.
ICRC head of the regional delegation in the Pacific, Vincent Ochilet said it was the first time for the organisation to be providing training to the Fiji police. He said the mission to South Sudan would enhance the officers’ professionalism through exposure to standards of excellence in international policing and specialised training.
“This mission to South Sudan is an opportunity for you to meet people from different backgrounds and cultures, to learn from them and often bring useful knowledge back to your service when you return home,” he said.
“As police officers, you will be involved in the fostering of international peace and security by supporting a country experiencing conflict, post-conflict and crisis situations.
“In its dialogue with police, the ICRC aims to enhance understanding and acceptance of its work and its way of working and also remind police of their obligations under domestic and international law.”
Fiji Police Force acting Assistant Commissioner Juki Chew said the training was conducted to guide and prepare the officers before they were deployed to South Sudan.
“This training will guide them, take them through to assist them once they are deployed on to a mission,” he said.
“In Fiji, we don’t have such issues but if you are deployed to a country having wars, then you will face issues that you have not faced before so we don’t want our officers to be culture shocked when they are deployed.”
The officers will be deployed based on the need for officers for a mission by the UN headquarters.
