U.S. to Increase Financial Support for LNP; Löj Says 'Not Enough'

MONROVIA -- U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has promised that the United States will increase its financial support for the training of more officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP) in next year’s budget.

The Secretary of State made the promise last Thursday, August 13, at the Police Academy in Paynesville, outside Monrovia, after she had declared her satisfaction with the level of security being provided by the police force, including the Emergency Response Unit (ERU).

Secretary Clinton said, although President Sirleaf and the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG), Madam Ellen Margaret Löj, are putting in more effort to rebuild the security sector of Liberia, total security would not be achieved unless the men and women of Liberia stepped forward to serve their country.

“You know that maintaining law and order is a critical element in sustaining peace and stability. Your fellow countrymen and women, and particularly the children of Liberia, need you. They need you not only to protect them and to provide security they need you to help heal the wounds left by 14 years of conflict. They need you to help renew the promise of Liberia,” she told the police.

The U.S. Secretary of State also told the police officers and recruits that although training as police officers is one of the hardest jobs in a post-conflict nation, police officers should recognize the investments being made in them. She admonished them to fight fear and uphold the rule of law.

Clinton said she was pleased with the number of female enrollment in the police force, adding, “Women police officers are essential, along with their male counterparts, to providing the stability of peace and security.”

She further stated that U.S. police officers and advisors had had the opportunity to collaborate closely with the work of the LNP, focusing much of their effort on the ERU. She added that the U.S. would be at the forefront of efforts to restore security in Liberia.

“Our investment in the ERU, including the new headquarters that will be opening soon, is a down payment on Liberia’s future security. And I am pleased to announce today that in next year’s budget, the United States will increase its financial support for training the LNP,” she asserted.

In her remarks, Löj said that she was worried that the attention of the international community was gradually shifting away from Liberia when there was yet more to be accomplished in Liberia.

Löj further stressed that the training of police officers was not sufficient to maintain security in Liberia, but that logistical support should also be provided in order to maintain security in Liberia.

The SRSG again expressed the United Nations’ commitment to supporting the government’s efforts to recruit more police officers. She called on the international community to buttress the efforts of the United Nations and the Liberian government in restoring security in Liberia.