The Community Policing Engagement Project in Abuja has entered a new phase. In early May, the GS-Foundation, in collaboration with UNDP Nigeria, held its two trainings for police officers and organized a public kick-off event – two key steps toward more inclusive and trust-based policing in Nigeria. The third training is currently underway.
Training Police Officers from Garki District
The training took place at the Kapital Klub Hotel in Asokoro, Abuja, bringing together officers from the Garki District. Its primary objective was to equip participants with foundational knowledge and practical skills in community policing and crisis intervention, with a focus on enhancing public trust and strengthening citizen engagement.
Right from the outset, the participants showed strong enthusiasm. They actively engaged with the course material and responded positively to the core values presented. “I love the way, how the training opened my mind on ethics and values,” said one officer who attended the training.
The participants are very interested in further training. There is currently a discrepancy between their needs and what is currently available. The Community Engagement Policing Project aims to close part of this gap.
From Launch to Action
The project was launched in December 2024. Since then, project teams have worked to lay the foundation for implementation. A key focus over the past months was on conducting needs assessments and community consultations to better understand local dynamics, concerns, and expectations.
We now look forward to delivering the next five scheduled training sessions in the coming months.
Furthermore, we are working on meaningful methods to ensure the long-term sustainability of the measure. For example, we are planning on-site support, where we will check how the knowledge gained is being put into practice every day from morning to evening over a period of one month.
Many thanks to our trainers: The training was expertly led by AIG (ret.) Austin Iwar and Chief Superintendent Michael Rügenhagen from the State Police in Lower Saxony, Germany.
