(Fekade Belay)
This week on Monday Ethiopia recognized the efforts and sacrifices of the gallant police men and women in a special ceremony.
The National Police Day was held at the Millennium Hall in Addis Ababa. It was was an occasion to remember and honor those who have lost their lives in their line of duty to ensure the safety and security of the people.
Indeed, Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn attended the event and lauded the role played by the Ethiopian Federal Police in respecting and enforcing the respect of the constitution of the country. The Premier underlined that the role played by the Ethiopian Federal Police would contribute for the creation of a united and strengthened Ethiopia.
In the past two decades, the services rendered by the police have opened the way for the people of Ethiopia to enjoy people centered-development and sustainable peace and security.
Indeed, the police force has been providing their dedicated efforts towards advancing their vision and mission.
The legal basis for the Federal Police is found in the ―Federal Police Commission Proclamation, 313/2003‖. Article 6 of this Proclamation defines the objective of the Commission as maintaining the peace and security of the public by complying with and enforcing the Constitution and other laws of the country, and preventing crime. The Proclamation also describes the duties and powers of the police organization. According to article 7, the Federal Police are responsible for crime control within designated areas of jurisdiction, all of which relate to state security. International affairs fall under their remit. They also have coordinating duties at the national level.
Vision: To see delivery of policing service that matches public satisfaction and trust in line with international standards
Mission: Contribute due role to development and prosperity of the nation by respecting and enforcing respect of the constitution and other laws of the land, preventing crime and criminal threats and ensuring prevalence of peace and security through active participation of the people.
At the heart of their success lies the acknowledgment of the importance of community participation and the need for police offices to develop partnerships with the society and stakeholders they serve. That is, community policing.
According to the manual of the Ethiopian Federal Police, community policing is:
A policy and a strategy aimed at achieving a more sufficient and effective criminal control, reduced fear of crime, improved quality of life, improved police services and a police legitimacy through a proactive reliance on community resources that seek to change crime causing conditions; it assumes a need for greater accountability, greater concern for civil rights and liberties."
According to the Research Institute of the Ethiopian Federal Police, there are two key principles that contain community policing:
1. Embedding police in existing community gatherings and associations, or generating new partnerships, with the aim of obtaining information, creating a broad referral network for dispute resolution, and encouraging a culture of “let’s end crime with me”; and
2. Urging the community to take responsibility for protective services, whether by forming neighborhood watch programs or engaging private security and/or militia.
Typically, Ethiopia's community policing method in urban areas constitutes a geographically intensive patrolling. One head officer and 6 patrol officers (patrolling in pairs over a series of shifts) were assigned to communities of 300 households. With 64 such households in the pilot, the initiative made a substantial claim on police resources.
Moreover, it emphasizes a coordination with existing government, civil society and community structures. The police act primarily as a referral service for 3 different types of disruptions to community life:
1. The first was criminal incidents, which were initially recorded at the community police station but then immediately referred to ordinary police stations for investigation and further processing.
2. The second type of disruption was nuisance and perceived disorder in the streets.
3. The third type was a wide range of local “social problems,” for whose handling the police called on existing community structures of dispute resolution, as well as neighboring households.
It should be recognized that the implementation of community policing should be appropriate to the needs and realities of communities while holding the core principles of community engagement, problem solving, and organizational change. The Community Policing Strategy Manual pointed out that different communities have different policing priorities and needs, and therefore, the implementation of community policing should be kebele-based.
Certainly, a best-fit approach is more important than best practice to implement this strategy, and that it appears that because community policing is concerned with local conditions. Therefore, community policing is not monolithic but it is adaptable to the nature of the community where it is being implemented that enables to adopt local solutions to local problems.
As the Prime Minister noted the role played by the Ethiopian Federal Police in respecting and enforcing the respect of the constitution of the country has been vital in the developmental path of the nation.
The Federal Police contributed for the creation of a united and strengthened Ethiopia. In the past two decades, the services rendered by the police have opened the way for the people of Ethiopia to enjoy people centered-development and sustainable peace and security.