Jamaica plans to send a team of police officers to join Kenya in Port-au-Prince to help fight gangs that had almost overrun the Caribbean nation.
The police commanders in Haiti met six member of a team from Jamaica who are on an assessment tour before deploying their officers for the MSS mission.
According to officials, the team pledged to send their personnel soonest possible.
This came as a second batch of Kenya police to Haiti landed in Port-au-Prince in style on July 16.
The team of 200 well trained landed aboard a UN chartered flight and was received by Director General of the Haitian National Police Normil Rameau and Multinational Security Support Mission commander Godfrey Otunge.
MSS is an international police force approved by the United Nations Security Council on October 2, 2023 to assist the government of Haiti in restoring law and order amid worsening civil strife and gang violence since 2018.
Otunge thanked the Kenya for the steady support and for the mission.
“We also thank local and international organizations, police contributing countries, the media and all people of good will for supporting the MSS mission. We count on your support,” he said.
He said the local team is already working with the contingent on the ground and pledged they will continue to realize the fruits of the joint efforts that are geared towards enabling Haiti to regain its stability and become an economic powerhouse.
“The arrival of the additional contingent is a huge reinforcement to the MSS mission and will go a long way in building the capacity of the Haitian Police to curb the activities of the gangs,” said Otunge.
“I wish to also notify you of the presence of an advance pre-deployment assessment team by the Caribbean Community who in due course are expected to join the MSS.”
Otunge urged for continued support of the MSS and HNP efforts aimed at re-establishing lasting peace and stability to the beautiful Nation of Haiti.
The team joined an advance one that had arrived in Haiti on June 25 and embarked on recce missions.
And after weeks of planning and learning the ground, the team helped the Haitian police recapture a national hospital that had been occupied by gangs there.
But since the arrival of Kenyan police, the police had also managed to recapture the Gressier Police Station and security officers had taken control of several areas.
Rameau further revealed the development of new strategies to track down criminals and enhance citizen security with the help of Kenyan officers and local authorities.
The team will man hospitals, national palace, major highways, port and airports.
Apart from Kenya, other countries that have pledged to send officers to Haiti include Benin, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Belize, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Algeria, Canada and France.
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