United States Embassy in Mali
Press Statement
No: 12-EN Bamako, Mali, November 29, 2021
As part of the long-standing United States cooperation with Mali, U.S. Ambassador Dennis Hankins today joined Secretary General of the Ministry of Security and Civil Protection Oumar Sogoba for two ceremonies marking important steps in the transformation from vision to reality of the Government of Mali’s plan for strengthening law enforcement and security services. For officers of Mali’s National Police to be effective in fighting crime and keeping Malians safe, they need more than just weapons and equipment. They need modern management and information technology systems that support the officers who serve the Malian people every day.
After extensive installation, testing, and training, Ambassador Hankins officially handed over to the National Police a fully functioning Human Resource Management System (Systeme Integre des Resources Humaines de la Police). Ambassador Hankins also presented certificates to 14 information technicians from the National Police, the Office Central des Stupefiants (OCS), and the Ministere de la Securite et de la Protection Civile (MSPC). These 14 technicians completed a U.S.-sponsored training program that enables them to maintain, troubleshoot, and develop additional capacities for law enforcement information technology systems.
Malian security agencies are rapidly changing to confront the multifaceted security problems facing the country. The United States and Mali are working together to implement modernization measures to help those forces provide timely and effective responses to the security needs of the Malian people. These new management and information technology systems will track the recruitment of new personnel, while supporting the training and professional development of personnel who work for these agencies. They will automate the performance evaluation system and make the promotion of personnel fairer and more equitable. Agencies will use these systems to quickly identify and deploy employees with special skills needed for successful operations. In the spirit of transparency, employees will be able to access, review, and correct inaccuracies in their personnel records throughout the course of their careers, from when they are hired to when they retire or leave the service. With the automation of the Human Resources records for the National Police, each officer will be issued a police photo identification and badge as mandatory parts of their uniforms to be worn when interacting with the public in the performance of official duties.
These trainings and equipment donations help Mali build modern, effective security sector forces. The United States is proud to support Malian partners who are working hard to build a more secure Mali. The U.S. Government will build on this success by implementing the same program for additional staff of the Office Central des Stupefiants (OCS).
These activities to strengthen law enforcement are carried out through the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and the U.S. Department of Justice’s International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP).
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