Agence Haitïenne de Presse - Translation by HaitiAnalysis.com

The Spokesperson of the UNPOL, Fred Blaise, made it known on Thursday that the Casques Bleus ["Blue Helmets"] recorded 8 cases of kidnapping during the first half of the month of January 2008.

6 of these cases of abduction were recorded in Port-au-Prince, said Fred Blaise, also informing us that during a series of joint Minustah-PHN's operations, several presumed outlaws have been apprehended.

Besides, Mr. Blaise has asserted that a group of approximately fifty international policemen are currently working on professionalizing the national policemen of the Central Direction of the Judicial Police (DCPJ).

Some of these Casques Bleus received their assignment on the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the PNH, specified Fred Blaise.

On the other hand, Mr. Blaise made it known that 16,000 patrols were carried out by the Minustah agents, in collaboration with the PNH across the whole national territory in 2007, and the sensitive zones of Cité Soleil, Martissant and Bel Air were patrolled on an ongoing basis, he added.

These actions are proof, he says, of the commitment of Law Enforcement to reduce acts of violence to their smallest expression in the country.