Gier: Our Police lack skills

Gier Chuang Aluong, the Minister of Internal Affairs in the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS), made these remarks in the previous week while addressing the media and diplomats in the State House of Juba. He said there is a lot to be done in the department of the police.

Gier said some of the police did not know any other language apart from their mother tongue, pointing out that this is one big problem in GoSS which the Ministry of Internal Affairs is looking into. He stipulated that recruitment of the police needed to be started with people who have at least finished senior three grade. In many occasion the police are been accused of torturing the innocent civilians. They are also accused of corruption, particularly of collecting money from taxi drivers. One time they were even accused of stopping an ambassador just because of raising his vehicle’s flag. Gier said these are serious matters that the Ministry of Internal Affairs in conjunction with GoSS is seeing forward to rectify.

The police are meant to maintain law and order. However, it is ironical that the services they are rendering to the country especially in Southern Sudan do not portray their responsibilities and image. Likewise the army who is also supposed to protect the innocent civilians does opposite things not far from the un-expected manners of the police. The army in many occasions are also been accused of raping, defilement, among other contradictory behaviors. 

According to my own opinion, I would like to suggest that the current police force be taken to class to be taught on how law should be implemented in the society. They should be taken to class to learn on what law is all about. This class learning should involve all the army and the police.

Minister of Internal Affairs Gier Chuang Aluong

However, they should be taught in different classes. This is very important because learning in class can improve their displine.

The first time I travelled to Khartoum this year in August, I was amazed as police in Khartoum portrays characters different from the Southern Sudan police. One of my colleagues was then beaten at night by an un-known group of gangsters after escorting his sisters on the way.

He was beaten on due course of coming back to the hotel and rescued by some Khartoum policemen. After bringing him to the hotel, we took our colleague up to a police station, a hospital and back to the police station to write a statement. This took us from 8:00pm till midnight. These police men escorted us back to our hotel at that hour of the night. The battering question in my mind was that, how much would these policemen demand following all these services they have provided us?

I decided to ask one of my colleagues in the following morning who was initially staying in Khartoum but of that time working in Juba; “why are these police men yesterday simplifying themselves to a lesser extend than us”? “One thing is that, they are taught on how to administer their services to the society”, he said.

Comparing and contrasting Southern Sudan police and (Northern) Sudan police, I then said there is need for the First Vice President of the Sudan and the President of GoSS to coach both his police men and the army. Or else his regime will be always blamed because of the unfair services his army are rendering services to the people.