U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS HAITIAN POLICE ACADEMY HAS LARGEST GRADUATING CLASS IN RECENT HISTORY

FROM:  STATE DEPARTMENT 

Largest Class in Recent History Graduates from Haitian National Police Academy
It was 80 degrees and sunny on Friday, December 27, 2013, when 1,058 newly minted Haitian National Police (HNP) cadets stood in perfect formation on the parade grounds of the Police Academy in Port-au-Prince. More than ten percent of this 24th class of graduating cadets is female, and all were wearing uniforms donated by the United States Government, through INL. Observing the newest inductees to Haiti’s sole security force were Haitian President Michel Martelly, U.S. Ambassador Pamela White, the Minister of Justice, and the Director General of the HNP.

Portland Police Bureau joined the Department of Justice’s International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) to implement INL’s community policing program in Bangladesh. The program was launched in 2010, and takes place in Rajshahi Division of northwestern Bangladesh, an area previously identified as vulnerable to violent extremism. The program supports a model of policing that emphasizes the establishment of police-community partnerships and a problem-solving approach that is responsive to community concerns. Program objectives include: 1) teaching Bangladesh police officers and citizens community policing strategies and assisting them with implementation; 2) providing hands-on instruction, modeling and mentoring to Bangladesh police officers and citizens using an embedding strategy and; 3) supporting the overall community by identifying additional stakeholders with the Rajshahi Metropolitan Police.

Four years after the 2010 earthquake, Haiti is slowly rebuilding itself with the help of the international community. The HNP, with assistance from the UN Stabilization Force for Haiti (MINUSTAH), is responsible for keeping the peace in Haiti. Crime and citizen security, a history of political demonstrations, and responding to natural disasters such as hurricanes are key challenges facing Haiti’s police. U.S. assistance has included the provision of new infrastructure and equipment, but training on democratic policing standards is now a cornerstone of our support to Haiti’s efforts to develop a more credible and competent police force – progress that is clearly reflected in the 1,058 men and women who donned their crisp yellow uniforms for the first time last month. The class is one of the largest since the establishment of the HNP in 1995 and represents a major step towards achieving the Government of Haiti’s goal of increasing force size from 10,000 in 2012 to 15,000 by 2016.

A number of the graduates are slated for specialized functions. Eighty will serve as corrections officers, 100 will receive additional training as special counter-narcotics police in the elite La Brigade de Lutte contre le Trafic de Stupéfiants (BLTS) unit, and 40 will be assigned to the recently established community policing program in an underserved area of Port-au-Prince. The community policing program, the brainchild of an FBI-trained HNP Commander, was developed through assistance from a cadre of NYPD officers that INL supports on long-term deployments to Haiti.

In addition to uniforms, INL also provides a food supplement and hygiene supplies to all of the recruits who can receive no compensation during their basic training at the academy. The academy itself has benefitted from INL-funded refurbishments and renovations. The medical and psychological phases of the next recruiting process are already underway for the 25th Promotion, with training due to begin in February. Thanks to a grant from INL to a local clinic for these services, approximately 1,900 candidates have already been screened. The goal is to identify and select more than 1,000 cadets, who would graduate in the fall. With this added strength, hopefully the HNP will soon enjoy a future just as promising as the bright sun at last month’s graduation ceremony in Port-au-Prince.