New Police Recruits to fulfill their Duties with Professional Excellence, Integrity and Honesty

The Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth urged the new recruits of the Mauritius Police Force to become proud bearers of the police flag and to maintain highest standard of professional excellence, integrity and honesty so as to live up to the expectation of the society. In the face of innumerable challenges, the Prime Minister called upon them to show courage, determination and resilience as well as to never lose sight of the values that they have promised to uphold when they took the Oath of Office.
He was delivering his remarks, today, at a Passing out Parade of 870 Temporary Police Officers enlisted in the Mauritius Police Force (MPF) at the SMF Gymkhana Sports Complex in Vacoas. The Commissioner of Police, Mr Anil Kumar Dip, several ministers, personalities as well as relatives of the Police Officers were also in attendance.
Prime Minister Jugnauth reiterated the unflinching support of Government to the Police for their efforts to dismantle the drug nexus and to put miscreants behind bars. No black sheep will be tolerated in the Police Force and the Public Service as well as those who are tempted by easy money as they will be made to bear the brunt, cautioned the Prime Minister.
The first batch of 435 recruits, enlisted in the month of July 2021, comprises 347 males and 88 females.
The second batch of 435 recruits, enlisted this year, includes 288 males and 147 females.
On the occasion, prizes were also presented to 11 best students from the 2021 and 2022 intakes,
Highlighting the achievement of the Police Officers, Prime Minister Jugnauth commended and congratulated them for their hardwork, perseverance, sacrifice and commitment to protect and serve the country while treading on the noble path of law enforcement. This achievement, he stated, is a significant milestone for them, their families as well as friends who have motivated them all along the journey.
As Mauritius pursues an economic transformation journey, observed the Prime Minister, this modernisation process will give rise to inevitable several policing issues. On this score, he called upon the Police Officers to have an in-depth professional awareness of the policing problems of the community so as to create an atmosphere of security for all citizens while taking into consideration the elderly people, the protection of women and children from harassment, exploitation ill-treatment, violence and other crimes and to be sensitive on drug proliferation among youth.
Despite the difficult economic situation, stated the Prime Minister, Government has empowered the MPF with necessary resources to reinforcing capacities and capabilities through the provision of new technologies to improve operational efficiency and outcomes. To this end, he pointed out that Government has invested Rs 10.9 billion so that Police Officers are adequately equipped to deal with modern challenges while ensuring their own safety.
Speaking on other governmental measures for the benefits of Police Officer, he stated that from December 2021 to date, over a 1000 Police Constables accomplished exemplary service for more than 20 years were promoted to the rank of Police Sergeants and some 750 Police Officers have been assigned the responsibilities of the next higher rank.
To further intensify the fight against drug trafficking and other crimes, the Prime Minister mentioned that 72 vehicles have been acquired and allotted to the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit, the Central Investigation Division, and Divisional Crimes Intelligent Units while emphasising that other special equipment including high patrol vessels will soon be added to existing police assets.
Mr Jugnauth also expressed his firm belief for the continuous professional development of Police Officers while encouraging them to seize opportunities of training and capacity building offered locally with the assistance of friendly countries such as India, China, United States, France, Japan, South Africa and Egypt, amongst others.
The Prime Minister highlighted that it is unfortunate that Police Officers are being apprehended for their involvement in various crimes and drug related cases which he said “tarnish the reputation of the Police Force and undermine the good work carried out by the majority of our officers, eroding the trust and confidence which the Mauritian population has in the Police”. It is of paramount importance that the Mauritian people continue to have confidence and trust in the police if they are to be partners in fighting crime, he stated.
Prime Minister Jugnauth also dwelt on the ways globalisation and technological development have brought in new forms of criminality ranging from cyber crime and money laundering to human and child trafficking.