As part of “United Nations Support Mission in Libya Project Plan 2017”, on August 4th a two-day workshop training was held in Tunis by the Libyan Ministry of Interior (MoI) General Directorate for Training organized and led by UNSMIL and the EU Border Assistance Mission in Libya, with the participation of the Delegation of the European Union to Libya, Liaison Officers for the Libya International Assistance Mission, and a member of the EU Liaison & Planning Cell-European Gendarmerie Force.
The meeting was organised to better clarify:
The role of MoI in the Libyan Security structure.
Urgent training needs assessment.
Human resources, recruitment, and selection mechanisms.
Training facilities.
An approach for international training support.
The section was opened by the UNSMIL Security Advisor Lieutenant General Paolo SERRA, who remarked on the key role of the Police Forces in Libya, which he considered elite forces with the aim to control Tripoli first.
The MoI representative stressed the concept that they have only one mission: combating and defeating crime in Libya. In addition, he declared that a security plan for Tripoli had been presented to the Presidental Council (PC), aimed at reaching a police presence in Libya 10.000 strong, including armed groups personnel integrated in the Police.
A Common Operation Room was presented, as well as a check and sub-check points structure manned by 300 police officers per shift. These programs are still pending of the PC approval.
Finally, the MoI representative indicated that a secure Tripoli could be used as a model of security implementation that could be duplicated all over Libya. As a final remark, he stated that controlling Tripoli meant controlling the whole country.
During the workshop, a matrix model was presented which the Libyan government will use to numerically assess the urgent training needs of the Libyan Police Forces, counting personnel trained and pending to be trained.
The outcomes of the workshop were:
Courses proposed by the Libyan authorities as their short term first priorities:
Basic explosive ordnance disposal.
Diplomatic structure security.
Sensitive infrastructure and facilities security.
Illegal immigration.
Anti-riot techniques.
Counterfeiting, especially regarding passports.
Negotiation techniques.
Cyber-crime and cyber-defence.
Advanced course on criminal investigations.
Commanders’ crisis management.
Structures to be built:
Police Officer Academy in Tripoli.
12 non-commissioned office ers academies in different Libyan locations.
In order for the former to be considered, a prior official request has to be presented by the Libyan authorities to the International Community and International Organizations.
Training outside Libyan territories is welcomed and suggested in order to have “Train the Trainers” activities.
