In response to an asked question Thursday, Oct. 8, at the press briefing of the Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary General of the UN concerning interpreters for the police elements of the UN Mission for Stabilization in Haiti (MINUSTAH ), he confirmed that there was a provision for roughly 200 interpreters in the Mission's budget that will be presented to the General Assembly in a few weeks' time.

[NdHL - It will have taken 9 months and the next budget of Minustah to start to regulate a crucial problem on the ground: the communication with the population! In light of this decision we are less surprised than any advance so slowly...These interpreters will not make advance the reconstruction more quickly, but at least our fellow-citizens will have people with whom to speak and which will understand their complaints]

About the question of the need for more staff, there is currently no plan to deploy additional police forces. Deploying 2,180 men of the UN police, authorized by the Security Council after the earthquake, is still ongoing. This deployment has already helped to significantly increase police presence in and around the main camp of Port-au-Prince and its environs.

Since there are approximately 1.5 million displaced people, dispersed through 1.300 camps, it is almost impossible to ensure a complete cover of all the camps at the same time. The Haitian national police force, which includes approximately 10.000 officers, has the responsibility first to ensure the safety of the population, including displaced people inside.

S/ HaitiLibre