After the course Superintendent Paul Brooks visited the Somaliland capital, Hargeisa, to meet with the Commissioner of Police and his senior management team to assess their capabilities and future training requirements. The impact of Counter Terrorism on the country is a real and current concern. Radicals from Somalia can freely travel between Somalia and Somaliland. Individuals from all over the world constantly travel through the country to be radicalised in Somalia. There are a number of British passport holders in Somaliland who are thought to have links with extremists in the UK. Three Suicide bombers targeted the Presidential Palace, the Ethiopian Government Trade Office and the UN Compound in October 2008 and killed over 20 people. There is a constant threat from terrorist groups operating in the area. Fourteen Senior Police Officers attended this course including the heads and deputies of the CID and Counter Terrorism units. It was run by senior officers from PSNI, and NPIA with close cooperation from the Counter Terrorist Liaison Officer in region and the FCO. The students were keen to learn and share experiences and all the trainers were impressed by their motivation and their drive to maintain the peace in Somaliland. The areas covered by the course were leadership, diversity, professional standards, community policing, human rights, intelligence led policing, serious crime, forensics, command and control and counter terrorism. The visit was very worthwhile as it allowed both the FCO and the NPIA to get a full understanding of what is required in the future to enhance their capabilities. We are hopeful that further leadership and specialist training will be conducted in the future to assist the Somaliland Police to enhance the countries safety and security.
Somaliland gained independence from Somalia in 1991 although it remains unrecognised by any country or international organisation. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the south and west, Djibouti in the northwest, the Gulf of Aden in the north, and two other de facto independent Somali territories in the east. It has 460 miles of coastline with the majority lying along the Red Sea. The region is slightly larger than England and has an area of 137,600km. The police service was established in 1991.
