To bring the Haitian National Police (PNH) closer to the people it serves and restore confidence among the general population, the PNH created a "Community Policing Unit".

Since April 15, these future members of the "Community Policing Unit" are attending a training session lead by both PNH instructors and New York Police Department (NYPD) Haitian-American instructors, which includes courses on Ethics, Disciplinary Regulations, Community Policing, Human Rights, Rural Law, Oral and media communications; Stenography, Stress Management, Shooting techniques, and Defensive driving tactics.

These officers which for the most part hail from the PNH’s 23rd promotion, and were recruited in 2012, underwent intellectual and physiological tests, with only 40 out of 150 applicants selected to be part of this new community policing unit.

The goal of community policing is to work closely with the people in their communities to build trust with the PNH. In turn, closer cooperation between the people and the PNH leads to improved information sharing, better redress for grievances and complaints, leading to speedier follow-up and corrective actions.

The 40 future members of the "Community Policing Unit” will serve exclusively in the Delmas area of Port-au-Prince. The unit’s graduation ceremony will be held at the end of June.

HL/ HaitiLibre