Reporting On Police Leadership In South Sudan

Between the 27th of February and the 7th of March, the Ministry of Interior, with the support of international partners, brought together the senior leadership of the South Sudan Police Service (SSPS) for a seminar in Juba. The aim of the nine-day seminar was to strengthen both individual and organizational law enforcement abilities specific to knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Participants included the Inspector General and Deputy Inspector General of Police, Police Commissioners from the ten states and senior managers within national headquarters.

Members of the SSPS, United Nations Police, United Nations Development Programme, Safety and Access to Justice Programme and GIZ facilitated a number of presentations and group exercises relating to various aspects of policing, leadership, and command. Throughout the seminar, the challenges of security sector reform (SSR) in South Sudan were discussed amongst the senior leadership, in addition to the everyday challenges faced by police throughout the ten states. It was stressed that reform needs to be embraced within the SSPS and sustainable change has to be initiated by the top ranks of the police service.

The United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID)’s Safety and Access to Justice Programme (SAJP) commissioned Integrity to provide coverage of the presentations, discussions, and group exercises that took place throughout the seminar. Integrity Consultant, Jessica Hayes, was supported by Integrity’s Head of Office in Juba, Marc Buchner, to capture the seminar’s events, deliberations, and the agreed upon resolutions. Following the seminar, Jessica drafted the seminar report, with support and valuable contributions from members of the SSPS’ Research and Planning Unit, and SAJP.