Denis Sabo serves as a police commissioner and trainer in community policing and police ethics and a lecturer-researcher at the Institute of the Living Environment of the University of Abomey-Calavi. He also is a consultant with the German cooperation agency GIZ for the development of the training module in police ethics for the benefit of the Beninese republican police. He graduated with a Commissioner’s Diploma from the National School of Police of Saint Cyr at the Mont d'Or in France. Sabo also holds a master’s degree in Spatial Planning and Local Development and a PhD in Crime Geography from the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin and a master's degree in human resources management and criminal law and criminal science from the University Jean Moulin Lyon 3 in France.
This project strengthened the relationship between the police and youth in the border regions of Benin and continued the work of Denis' previous project, reaching new populations and audiences. The project facilitated dialogue between police services and young people by involving youth in local activities; helping youth understand the role of the police through training and awareness campaigns; reconciling tensions between civilians and police officers through community clean-ups; and training police officers on best practices when interacting with civilians. The project included six trainings on community policing and youth leadership, and six sanitation campaigns where police officers and civilians worked together to keep their towns clean. More than 500 people were impacted.
This project facilitated dialogue between the police services and young people. It encouraged the integration of youth workers into the consultation bodies between local authorities and police services and created awareness among young people to better understand the missions of the police and the army. Reconciliation activities were organized between the two parties through joint sanitation campaigns in the districts. The project also helped to train police officers on ethics and best practices of community policing.
Twenty police officers were trained to speak to the community and encourage collaboration and peacebuilding. Participants in the sanitation campaigns were inspired to organize similar ones in the future. Over the course of the project, 360 people participated in their community meetings and 758 people participated in several community sanitation campaigns.
Denis participated in the IVLP Project Countering Violent Extremism - Community Strategies in 2021, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Meridian International Center. He also participated in the IVLP Project Countering Violent Extremism - Community Strategies in 2022, organized by the U.S. Department of State and World Learning.
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