The laudable services rendered by Douala’s City Police are well known to the residents. They have been instrumental in keeping order in rowdy markets, clearing illegally occupied street corners of hawkers and ensuring smooth traffic flow. The wrong parking of vehicles which used to result in accidents has been significantly reduced with the inception of the City Police.
Deployed in strategic areas in the city or mobile, they carry out security surveillance and enforce order in metropolitan Douala. Some who work with the famous ‘Sabots’ unit help ensure the right parking of vehicles to create room for the movement of pedestrians. The Douala City Council, DUC also uses the mobile team for its special security operations. Their duties include traffic control, policing, enforcing municipal by-laws and regulations and preventing crime.
After arresting, they take suspects to the nearest police station for investigations and possible prosecution. Given that the existing municipal police service is focuses mainly on enforcement of traffic rules or on work only in certain parts of the city, the public’s expectations of them cannot be met in the short term if not properly funded.
Momnugui Jacques, a retired Police Inspector and member of the City Police, suggests that for optimal efficiency, the corps should be given elementary training in security functions. Difficulties like mastery of different parts of the city, knowing the location of different government offices and their officials, meting out sanctions, risks of provoking conflict with defaulters, abound. “Municipal policing may do a lot of good to local security problems if supervised by retired security officers; and if they are made to work closely with neighbourhood heads,” he explained. He said the challenges are more with new recruits who do not understand how to approach members of the public with tact.
Loe Mamert Florent, Director of City Police Service, said frequent offences observed in the city include those related to obtaining building permits, traffic, illegal occupation of public buildings, environmental pollution and crime. The Douala City Council created the force in 2010.
