Thousands of police officers parade at their graduation ceremony following a four-month refresher training in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal State – Credit: [Voice of Hope Radio] December 20, 2024

The National Police Spokesperson has admitted that more than 70 percent of the police force lacks professional training in basic policing, making the maintenance of order and service delivery difficult.

Major General James Monday Enoka made the revelation during a media briefing on Wednesday at the police headquarters in Juba.

Gen. Enoka said many members of the current force were former SPLA combatants, fighters from other armed groups, or individuals recruited directly from villages.

He added that only a small portion of the police are either remnants of the Sudanese police or professionals trained locally in South Sudan.

“More than 70 percent of the police are not professional; they are not trained, so this also affects the professional service. Political and Social Conflicts, such as wars, the war situation, and the work of the police, are affected because police work in a peaceful environment with the communities,” Gen. Enoka said.

The police spokesperson said recent conflicts have disrupted the recruitment and professional functioning of the police service.

“So, when there is a war situation, the police cannot work effectively. So, the Police need a peaceful environment in order to deliver services to the citizens,” he stressed.

Monday explained that while some officers were trained at established institutions such as the Rajaf Police Training Center and Rambur Police Academy, many others were integrated into the force without any formal training in law enforcement.

“Those who have not taken the training are people described as not having the skill. Because if you are very handsome or very medically fit, and you are given a car to drive, but you have not received a driving course, you will crash. So, therefore, those who are unprofessional in the police are making mistakes,” he said.

“But one mistake will cover everybody, because when it happens, people will say, ‘It is the police,” he added.

Gen. Enoka blamed inadequate funding for the lack of proper training and equipping of the police force, hindering their ability to perform duties professionally and efficiently.

He said renowned training centers such as Rajaf and Rambur are currently non-operational.

“So, these institutions are now paralyzed; they do not function as we thought. It is like a school that is not open, simply because it is held back by the peace agreement,” he said.

Despite the challenges, Gen. Enoka said the police leadership remains committed to improving the capacity of officers.

“So, every IGP, including the present one, always has training as the first agenda, because you have to professionalize the police so that the service can be effective, with no complaints,” he further said.

He also revealed that the service lacks basic tools for daily operations, including official case registers, communication radios, and investigation kits.

He added that forensic tools such as fingerprinting equipment are unavailable, limiting the ability to investigate and solve crimes efficiently.

“Even now, someone leaves a fingerprint, someone who broke this door; he was touching it. You should just come, put the powder there, lift the fingerprint, and once it’s entered into the system, it automatically gives you the name of that person. We are lacking all these kinds of tools,” he explained.

“If you have the skills, and you don’t have the resources. For example, people go to the police station because they want to open a case. But the police registers are not there. They want to open a case in a normal way, but this is not normal. Then they are sent to a police detective, and they say, ‘Ah, he has a pen, but there are no papers,’” he narrated the challenge.

Gen. Enoka denied that police officers extort money from the public but admitted that, in some cases, officers ask complainants to buy paper for recording statements due to a lack of supplies.

“People say the police are taking a bribe, but in fact, the officer doesn’t have the papers because the government is not providing them. You want to open a case, and now they tell you to go and buy the paper, which is not the normal paper used in regular cases, but a special one manufactured specifically for policing,” he added.