Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Gabon actu
Published on 2024-03-02 06:40:02
The first batch of new recruits of the Gabonese national police entered barracks early Saturday morning for a 6-month basic training at the Owendo police school in the suburbs of Libreville, as observed by a reporter from Gabonactu.com.
The assembly took place at the Forces of police intervention (FOPI) camp in the 5th district.
Several parents accompanied their children to this gathering, with the assembly time set for 5 am.
Upon arrival, the new recruits, with shaved heads, a bucket, a machete, and a bag containing their provisions, were subjected to the first tests. Reprimands, tears, crawling on their stomachs on the asphalt with their gear on their backs… all under the watchful eyes of sometimes nostalgic parents.
The recruitment took place through a competition organized on September 9, 2023. In total, 17,771 Gabonese participated in this competition. The publication of the results sparked a lively controversy.
Several rejected candidates denounced irregularities. Some officers were suspended pending investigation. They are suspected of organizing the irregularities denounced loudly on social media.
In its statement, the police specified that initially, the competition was supposed to recruit 1,100 police officers, including 100 officers and 1,000 agents.
Faced with the influx of applications, the police added, the transitional president, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguéma, eager to provide employment to Gabonese, instructed the national police forces to finally recruit 3,000 police officers.
The lists published in mid-February indicate that 2,532 candidates were declared admitted, including 1,328 in the category of non-commissioned officers and 1,204 for future officers. There would be 468 new admissions missing.
“To fill this gap, the High Command decided to select certain candidates based on the scores obtained in the written tests. This process is underway to constitute the 3rd batch,” the police explained.
After the barrackment of this first batch, a second wave and a final one were to follow. The training will take place at the police camp in Owendo for 6 months.
The objective of the authorities is to rejuvenate the ranks of the national police.
Antoine Relaxe
Read the original article(French) on Gabon Actu
