The Bangsamoro Community Policing Project
Amilour, a teacher at a local daycare centre, remembers how "I was really afraid of the police when I was growing up." Thanks to the Community Policing project, the daycare centre now conducts educational field trips to police stations and many of Amilour's students want to be police officers instead of fearing them.
Community Policing is a new approach to policing in the Philippines, introduced by the British Council to Bangsamoro. It gives community members a role in their local peace and order. Police are more active and visible in the communities, communication lines between the police and the local communities are stronger, and positive relationships have developed where previously people were wary of the police. Members of the community also have formalised roles, such as first responders and contact points for the police.
The Community Policing Project was implemented in partnership with Security Reform Initiative (SRI) and the Bantay Bayanihan network. The British Council's expertise in increasing understanding and trust between diverse groups has been essential to the project's success. An inclusive approach was at the heart of the process, empowering individuals to contribute and take ownership of the project.