Angola

Police Structure and Organization

The Ministry of the Interior is responsible for internal security, although the legacy of civil war means armed forces are involved in this function as well. Internal intelligence agents report directly to the president.

At the top of the police hierarchy is the General Command. Below that, the police are organized into Provincial, Municipal, Squadron (Esquadra), and Police stations.

The police have numerous divisions and special units, including Public Order, Traffic, a Criminal Investigation Division, Investigation and Inspection of Economic Activity, a rapid intervention unit, a special transit brigade, diplomatic protection, border protection, a helicopter unit, a unit for protecting strategic objects, and a department of arms and explosives. The police are overseen by an Inspector General. Women participate in all divisions of the police.

The 2002 peace agreements called for approximately 5,000 senior UNITA officers to be incorporated into the government police and military forces.

Police Training and Recruitment

There are two training academies in Angola, and there are plans to establish an Institute of Police Sciences and an Institute of Criminal Sciences. However, as of early 2004, many serving police had joined without any training as, during the conflict the police frequently operated as part of the armed forces. According to press reports, only 28% have had any training at all, and only 2% of those have advanced training. The United Nations Center for Human Rights is assisting the police force in developing training programs for serving police officers; Angola has also received bilateral assistance from other African countries, including Cape Verde and South Africa. The police announced a modernization campaign in 2003 emphasizing decentralization and training.