First officers from UN specialized police unit deploy for Chad to start key training role

First officers from UN specialized police unit deploy for Chad to start key training role

21 November 2007 – The first officers from the United Nations Standing Police Capacity will depart for Chad today to start training recruits for a specialized Chadian police unit responsible for providing security to the 300,000 or so internally displaced persons and Sudanese refugees affected by the conflict in neighbouring Darfur.

“This is the first operation for the Standing Police Capacity (SPC) and five officers will leave for Chad today, while the 11 others will join them in December. Initially they will be based in the capital N’Djamena but as soon as the security conditions permit they will set up headquarters in the eastern city of Abeché,” said SPC Chief Walter Wolf.

“There are already three UN Police (UNPOL) officers in the Chadian capital and on 30 November another 32 will arrive, and all these together with the SPC will help prepare the way for an eventual deployment of up to 300 UNPOL officers as mandated by the Security Council.”