Denis Sabo
2023 IVLP Impact Award Project: Strengthening Collaboration Between the Police and the Population in the Districts of Oké-owo and Béssé in the Commune of Savè in BeninBenin
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.
2023 IVLP Impact Award Project: Strengthening Collaboration Between the Police and the Population in the Districts of Oké-owo and Béssé in the Commune of Savè in Benin
This project strengthened the relationship between the police and youth in the border regions of Benin, continuing work begun in a 2022 project. 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.
2022 IVLP Impact Award Project: Strengthening Collaboration Between the Young People and the Police of Savè for Peace and Security
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. Over the course of the project, 360 people participated in their community meetings and 758 people participated in several community sanitation campaigns.
"This [project] reassures everyone who will now be able to discuss together to find solutions to the problems." - Project Participant
IVLP Exchange Experience
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, in partnership with Global Ties Detroit, International Citizen Diplomacy of Los Angeles and the International Institute of Wisconsin. 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, in partnership with World Affairs Council of Kentucky & Southern Indiana, WorldDenver, Boulder Council for International Visitors, International Citizen Diplomacy of Los Angeles.
U.S. Communities Visited in 2022
Los Angeles, CA; Boulder, CO; Denver, CO; Washington, DC; Louisville, KY
U.S. Communities Visited Virtually in 2021
Los Angeles, CA; Washington, DC; Detroit, MI; Madison, WI