After Croix-des-Bouquets, Delmas and Petionville, it was the turn of Cité Soleil to host the Fourth Police Bicycle Patrol, a unit of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), whose mission is to get closer to the population.

Unlike their colleagues in Croix-des-Bouquets, Petionville and Delmas, the community police officers have been trained by their peers who have been trained in turn by the United Nations Police (UNPOL). The Bicycle Patrol of Cité Soleil is composed of 5 police officers. For Inspector Jean-Ernest Celestin, Coordinator of the project within UNPOL, "they will be four to make daily patrols and one in reserve."

Accompanied by the Police Commissioner of the United Nations, Luis Carrilho, and Michel-Ange Gédéon, Departmental Director of West of the PNH, they traveled the streets of Cité Soleil under the gaze of curious, surprised to see police officers in shorts riding a bicycle. These bicycle officers can patrol the corridors where access is inaccessible to vehicles.

17 police officers already compose the 4th Brigade currently being pilot project, an initiative of the Canadian Government in collaboration with of MINUSTAH. By 4 months, 80 new officers will be deployed throughout the territory. Bringing the total to 92.

Photo credit : John Jairo Jaramillo Buitrago UN/MINUSTAH

HL/ HaitiLibre