U.S. Trained Internal Security Forces Officers Graduate from the Community Policing Program

US Embassy Release: On October 12, 2010, 48 Internal Security Forces (ISF) officers graduated from the joint U.S. and ISF Community Policing training program. The Community Policing program is an eight-week, state-of-the-art training course taught by U.S. and Lebanese police instructors with the assistance of legal professionals. ISF officers learn the latest policing, law enforcement and community relations skills -- and how to implement them effectively in real situations.
The community policing model promotes the development of partnerships between law enforcement agencies and the citizens and organizations they serve, in order to develop solutions to problems and increase trust in the police. Community policing puts emphasis on tackling the underlying causes of crime by addressing problems at the local level. These techniques have successfully reduced crime and increased trust and confidence in the police in numerous communities in the United States and Europe.

Congratulating the graduates, Thaddeus Kontek, Director of the Embassy’s International Law Enforcement Programs Office, explained that this specialized training program was originally designed as a pilot project for a single ISF police unit. However, recognizing the wide-ranging benefits of community policing General Rifi and the ISF leadership took the decision to implement community-oriented policing practices throughout Lebanon.

The United States’ law enforcement assistance program in Lebanon is designed to support Lebanese law enforcement sector reform by strengthening the capacity of the Internal Security Forces to enforce the rule of law in Lebanon and to protect the Lebanese people.