CRPF women earn praise for work in Liberia

Shemin Joy

New Delhi, Dec 25, 2007 (PTI) A "five-star" performance bywomen personnel of the CRPF in strife-torn Liberia has earned them the praise of the African nation's President for motivating the country's women to join police, besides a year's extension

Completing a year in Liberia next month, the 125-strong contingent led by Commandant Seema Dhundiya, was entrusted with the security of the President, joint patrolling and general area domination besides riot control and training ofofficers of the National Police in the crisis-hit West Africannation

Impressed by their performance, the United Nations has sought an extension for the force, and a fresh batch of 125personnel, part of the CRPF's women battalion, will be heading to Liberia next month to replace the existing team

"It was for the first time that a female contingent was sent to Liberia in January this year to handle the local unrest and this is the first female contingent of police to be deployed by the UN," CRPF Director General S I S Ahmed toldPTI.

"The day the first batch landed in Liberia, there was a big demonstration. They did exceedingly well in containing the unruly mob. It created a big impact," Ahmed, who recently visited Liberia, said.

The "outstanding" performance by the squad, Ahmed said, also prompted the authorities to entrust the security of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf with the CRPF.

"Sirleaf told me that the CRPF has created an outstanding impact on the Liberians and a large number of women now are wanting to join the police. She said it was unparallelled as Liberian women never wanted to come and join police," Ahmedsaid.

The specialised Formed Police Unit, comprising 125 female officers of the paramilitary force, has received training in crowd control, handling of weapons and teargas and unarmed combat.

The team will be armed with pistols, INSAS and AK-47rifles and light machine guns.

The contingent will be equipped with bulletproof vehicles, indigenous riot control vehicle Vajra, night vision devices and GPS systems.

The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) took over peacekeeping duties from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in October 2003 to bring about a thaw among warring ethnic groups.

The existing contingent also received praise from UNMILCommander Lt Gen Chikadikia Obiaka and Deputy SpecialRepresentative of UN Secretary General, Henreitta Joy, who commended the CRPF work as "five star" performance.

Asked why the CRPF force was selected for the job, Ahmed said, "there were many demonstrations in which women were participating in large numbers and the government was finding it difficult to handle that."

He said the CRPF contingent is encouraging other countries to raise exclusive women contingent and "dignitaries visiting Liberia are interacting with our contingent to findout the mode of working".

"Like their male counterparts, they are into everything like counter-insurgency and counter-militancy. This kind ofexposure, I think, no women contingent in the world evergets," Ahmed said.