Mogadishu - A three-day workshop to discuss the modalities of implementing Somalia’s New Policing Model in HirShabelle state commenced today in Mogadishu.

The workshop contributes to the operationalization of a broader agreement known as the National Security Architecture, which was jointly endorsed by President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo and the presidents of the federal member states in Mogadishu on 16 April. The New Policing Model was reaffirmed by the political agreement on Somalia’s National Security Architecture.

In attendance at the workshop were members of the HirShabelle Technical Committee, who will oversee the implementation of the New Policing Model and lay the foundation for the establishment of a state police force. 

The members of the committee are drawn from the HirShabelle state assembly, government ministries and departments, and nongovernmental organizations, among others. The meeting was organized by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) and officially opened by the HirShabelle Minister of Interior, Mohamed Ali Adle.

Speaking at the workshop, HirShabelle State Police Commissioner Col. Hassan Dhisow Hassan said the implementation of the New Policing Model will culminate in the establishment of a strong police service to help secure the region and the country.

“This workshop is of great significance, given that it is the first step towards the establishment of the security institutions, particularly the police in HirShabelle. We look forward to the outcome, which will be very useful for the administration in terms of the provision of security for the people,” Col. Hassan said.

In March 2016 internal security ministers from the federal government and federal member states signed an agreement on the future structure of Somali police services and called it the New Policing Model.

The agreement codifies a two-tier approach for policing by state-level police services and a federal police service. On 24 June 2016 the New Policing Model was endorsed by the National Leadership Forum, and that backing was confirmed by the political agreement on a national security architecture for Somalia that was reached on 16 April of this year.

The model contains federal and state-level components that will report to their respective federal and state-level ministries of internal security. Each component will be responsible for recruitment and training of police personnel.

Minister Adle welcomed the fact that the workshop was being held just a few days after the country’s top leadership agreed on the new national security architecture, which proposed an increase in security personnel numbers nationwide and greater collaboration between state and federal security institutions.

“The National Security Architecture is about how the security and stabilization plan will be implemented, given that we have a federal system of governance. Federal member states have a stake in the security of the country, since the security of the country is intertwined with that of the federal state. They complement each other. If HirShabelle is secure, it is good for the whole country and we are happy with the security architecture,” the Minister explained.

Meinolf Schlotmann, UNSOM Senior Police Advisor on Police Reforms, also expressed satisfaction with the discussions, adding that the issue of security was of great significance to both federal and state governments. Mr. Schlotmann noted that security will be one of the topical issues in the London Somalia Conference scheduled for 11 May 2017.

“You all know that the London Conference in coming up and support to the New Policing Model will be one of the topics to be discussed,” the UN official observed.

Halima Abdirahman Sheikh, one of the participants, urged the UN and the federal government to organize more workshops on security to enable Somalia to establish a strong security force.

“I hope that we have more of such workshops because they are important for women and children who over the last 26 years have suffered the most because of wars in Somalia. If we have a strong police in place, then our security will be guaranteed,” Ms. Sheikh said.

HirShabelle is the fifth federal member state to implement the New Policing Model joining Jubbaland, South West State, Puntland and Galmudug.