The National Police officially launched the Senegalese Police Education (Edupolsen) project on Monday, May 11, at the Coumba Ndoffene Diouf High School in Fatick. This ceremony marks the fourth phase of the program's nationwide rollout. The day began with a flag-raising ceremony.

Director General of the National Police, Inspector Mame Seydou Ndour initiated this project in partnership with the Ministry of National Education and stakeholders in the education sector, including the National Union of Parents of Students of Senegal (UNAPEES), the Coalition of Organizations in Synergy for the Defense of Public Education (COSYDEP)..., in order to bring the police closer to the population, especially students.

The program's objective is to change the public's perception of the police.

Following this launch, the Fatick police plan to deploy to the city's schools to organize flag-raising ceremonies, introduce students to the various police services while raising awareness about drug use prevention, road safety education, the dangers of cybercrime and irregular migration.

The headmaster of the high school, Arfang Sarr, welcomed "this innovative and relevant program." "Young people remain a major concern for all educators, as the future of the country depends on its youth. Innocent, students are often at the mercy of life's misfortunes. Today, in collaboration with the Ministry of National Education, the police are contributing to the education of young people by raising their awareness of issues that corrupt our youth and jeopardize the safety of people and property. Without security, there can be no development," he stated.

The Secretary General of the Fatick Regional Education Authority, Mbacké Thioune, welcomed the initiative. He stated: “The police have taken the commendable step of dismantling the negative perceptions they sometimes face. In the face of the challenges plaguing our youth and our society, they are consolidating and strengthening the missions of the school.”

For his part, the head of the regional public security service in Fatick, Commissioner Malick Dieng, emphasized the preventive dimension of the project.

“We are not here today to talk about repression or arrests, but about civic and citizenship education. We have come to say that the police do not just react to problems, but act upstream: prevent rather than cure, educate rather than punish,” he explained.

According to him, Edupolsen is based on two major axes: bringing the police to the school and the school to the police.

"The police have always played a role in the civic education of our youth. Today, we are taking a step forward by helping students become responsible citizens, aware of their rights and duties," he added.

Beyond this aspect, the police also want to instill essential reflexes in the students. "We want to teach you the actions that can save your life: how to cross the road safely, how to react to danger, and how to use the internet responsibly," he stated.

Addressing the parents of students, he invited them to actively participate in this project, to encourage their children to participate in the proposed activities and to extend at home the lessons received at school.

"Stay in school, work hard to become someone tomorrow," he told the students, while reminding them of the importance of education.

Through this initiative, the National Police intends to support the Senegalese school system in its mission to train a healthy, conscious and responsible youth, capable of contributing to the development of the country.