The year 2015 was the last year for the Norwegian National Police in the Training for Peace (TfP) Programme (1995-2015). The Norwegian Police has played a significant role in supporting African capacity and capability in Peace Support Operations (PSOs). The Norwegian Police is honoured to have been a supporting partner to the TfP Programme for all these years. When we retire from the TfP Programme, we will humbly advice that the Police dimension still need to be in focus in building the capacity for peace and security. The Norwegian National Police Directorate gives its gratitude to the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security for having given us the possibility to serve the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 20 year in the programme of TfP. We will give a special credit to the Danish Police for their contribution to the Programme through many years. They have played an important role to the Programme through the instructors delivering trainings and conceptualising work related to training material. The Danish support has been to no-cost for the TfP Programme.

Reflections on 20 years of Training for Peace Programme

You may find our footprints in the following areas:

• We have supported over thousand African police officers, trained for peacekeeping through pre-deployment courses with a special focus on female police officers. The last years we have also supported middle-management courses for peacekeepers and courses related to gender and gender based violence.
• We have strengthened African trainer capacity and competence in The Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) and at Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping and Training Centre (KAIPTC) through mentoring, advice, active trainer activities and training of trainers. These institutions are now left with a strong ability to conduct police courses themselves. We have conducted capacity building focusing on gender balance. The African trainer capacity and competence is also being used by the Norwegian Police when facilitating our own pre-deployment courses. The TfP is developed an exchange programme which shows enhanced North-South and South-South needs.
• We have focused on the importance of establishing a Peace Support Operations Office (PSO Office) in all national police organisations, especially through the engagements within EASF. The work that we have done resulted in the deployed of more female police officers than male officers in peacekeeping missions from Rwanda, more specifically. During the last years we have had a small bilateral capacity building programme in Malawi, which has established a PSO Office and have already increased their participation in peacekeeping mission (Darfur) from 23 to 90. In addition, 50% of those deployed are female police officers. This is seen as a story of success due to the fact that the Inspector General and his leadership team has taken ownership of the capacity building process.  Furthermore, the designated PSO Office officers have taken up their tasks professionally, combined with a mutual trust between the Malawi police and the sponsor.
• We have continuously worked and contributed to make the police component in peacekeeping management visible. Through our position in EASF, we have been close to the ground and been able to give inputs to concept papers, annual programs, exercises and various multi-disciplinary arrangements. We were designed to take the lead among the TfP Partners on the Police Dimension Review of the Training for Peace Programme in 2013, in which we recommended a closer relationship between the TfP Programme and the African Union. In line with this we have been working with AU Peace Operation Division (AU PSOD) in the Police Strategic Support Group (PSSG) to make the Police Component in the AU visible. The work we have been supporting was presented to the African Chiefs of Police (ACOP) in December 2015.

Our mission is completed. Bjorn Hareide Focal Point POD TfP