Police graduates taking an oath at Juba National Stadium in 2018

The Director General of Police for Administration and Finance says a high rate of illiteracy in the police force is impeding criminal investigations.

According to his statistics, over 80 percent of police personnel are not qualified. And South Sudan has the highest illiteracy rate due to years of conflict, lack of infrastructure, and quality education.

Part of the country is still using Sudanese curriculum while other parts either used the newly developed South Sudan Curriculum or the Ugandan one.

Lieutenant General, Abraham Majok said most the officers cannot read or write in English, while others can only speak and not write in Arabic.

“We need people from great 8 upward. But now we get people who don’t know how to write and read. 85 percent of them. So, it is difficult also to train them on how to conduct investigations,” Lt. Gen. Majok lamented.

He said this is affecting the performance of police in the country, especially during arrests, and submission to the courts.

As a result, Majok said detention centers are congested and suspects spend days without being attended to by a lawyer or taken to court.

He argues that those unqualified often delay criminal investigation due to lack of knowledge of procedures and documentation of testimonies from suspects, complainants or witnesses.

“We are trying to transform the police, but every now and then it is being diluted. When it is diluted, it means that you have to start again, training them,” he concluded.