A TEAM of Scottish police officers is to swap Fife for Lilongwe in Malawi to help train local officers to ensure law and order is maintained in the run-up to the African nation's elections in May 2014.
Superintendent Thom McLoughlin, Inspector Graham Miller and Allen Jones will begin their roles from tomorrow as part of a £3m UK Government-backed programme that will, over the next two years, see nine serving and former officers travel to Malawi in the coming months to help the local police ensure the upcoming poll is free, fair and trouble-free.
The officers from Police Scotland will head up part of the Malawi Policing Improvement Programme (MPIP), backed by the Department for International Development to enable the police in Malawi better address public order issues after riots in 2011 saw 20 people shot dead.
Justine Greening, Secretary of State for International Development, said: "Ordinary people need to be confident that their police force is working in their interest."
She said the team travelling to Malawi had decades of experience in tackling public order issues in the UK and abroad and that they would share their skills and expertise to enable the Malawi Police to improve its response, reputation and relationship with the local community.
"By ensuring a police service that is professional and accountable, the UK will help to reduce human rights violations in Malawi and save substantial amounts of money lost to crime and corruption," she added.
The MPIP was initiated following a review of policing methods in Malawi after the 20 riot deaths two years ago.
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