By Mustafa Mohamoud Dahir
Somaliland has relative peace since it break away from Somalia in May 1991, after 30 years of union ended fruitless. All former government institutions were collapsed due to civil war which broke out the country, building government institutions and peace building approaches were started from bottom in early 1990s.
Somaliland police was established 25 years ago for the reasons of getting peace process back on track, although the country’s capacity was limited, and recovering the long lasting war that Somali National Movement (SNM) waged against the former dictator of Said Barre who was finally defeated in 1991.
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The police has so far managed the peace and stability in the country well, in the prime facie of establishment most recruited of the police members were among former police officers of Somali republic ruled by Said Barre and were shaped like military due to the military handed over the power of the country who intended police to do the militaries job whenever it required that. Since Somaliland adopted by referendum a democratic constitution in May 2001, newly adopted constitution granted citizens many rights and expressed the mandate of police force which is two main functions: first is to keep the security of the country and second is to enforce laws.
The number of police forces increased day after day, in terms of quantity, after received each year a batch of hundred young graduate police officers from the police training school in Mandera. Police took a number of courses in the school, mainly related to how to use weapons, how to arrest people and how to defend themselves whenever they face any serious or dangerous incidents against themselves, rather than learned them both tactical training and lessons relating constitution, police act, human rights and how well they would behave citizens after been graduated from the school.
Unlike many other institutions of the country, police have not yet received any realistic reform or strategies which could enhance their capacity of this institution and as well as knowledge of members of the police and people are demanding civilian police who would be believed to alter their function and behaviour based on brutality. For example many Somaliland institutions including judiciary have benefited from capacity buildings funded and supported by international organizations and government and many achievement can be seen these institutions today.
Somaliland society usually faces regular challenges and intimidations from the current police forces. Police do not respect laws and deprived citizens from the basic rights in unconstitutional way. For instance, more than 90 percent of accused persons, police have arrested without warrant irrespective of the constitution and other laws. Delay in remand period, bad treatment of suspects inside the police stations, denial access to meet lawyer into his client are also common in the police stations.
I acknowledge the hard work that police has for the state, and we have a fair reward and huge respect to that, but, it is not an excuse and justifiable ground that circumstances surrounded you allows you [police] for all human rights violations.
Number of times, several concerns were raised the deteriorating poor conditions or standard of living exists in the police stations and a small room is arrested a large number of people with small window and there is no toilet and people uses a plastic bags as toilet, access to water, medicine and food are also limited, proxy detention is still presence many parts in Somaliland, although it is illegal or unconstitutional but it has changed into a norm done by police.
According to Saed Mohamoud Gahayr, my former teacher at the secondary school, he met same incident in one of the Hargeisa police stations, where police officer rejected him a little amount of water in order to wash his body after he suffered a poor health situations inside the police station. Police exchange money to allow you access to air somewhere in the police station, meanwhile any person who have no money to give the police remained the cell with limited air condition existed said Mr Saed who is also poet and writer.
Mr Saed is not the only person who revealed the concern situation which exists in the police stations. Abdurrahman Abees who is another famous poet has revealed in event after presented in this week a poet about what he had seen one of the police stations who once detained him. The second day of his revelation was arrested because of being revealed poor standard of living which exist police stations. The poet has appeared once in the court, whoever reveals and express his opinion any issue relating to police station and even police affairs could be intimidated and arrested by the police.
Press conference released by the spokesperson of the police forces who is famous telling in- formations far away from the truth and as well as normally uses his conferences some words borrowed from Italian language, suggested accused poet has initiated and presented anti national propaganda and fake news against the police stations, the spokesperson added that he recognized the accused person as a convicted person which is contrary to the constitution, usually police acted as judiciary, legislative and as well as an law enforcement agency.
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Limited number of police stations exists in Hargeisa, where one million and half populated city with increasing rate of criminals recorded each year, any alternative approach have not proposed by the police so far, using chain with accused persons in order secure from escaping is still common in police stations. Every day dozens of young generations chained with hands, with no shoes, and mistreated and beaten by police appears in Somaliland courts.
Police act more than the law by doing what they want and do not respect the court orders and this is because many Somaliland people are suffering from anxiety and for example according police report released last November, more than nineteen thousand of criminal cases were documented, half of that cases resolved outside and police adjudicate people and acted as court which is contrary to the constitution. Meantime many acquitted persons ordered by the courts remained many police stations, while police rejected to obey the court’s decision and it seems and clear that police is more powerful than the judiciary branch.
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