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(Arab World Press) -  In an interview with AWP news agency, Brigadier General Fath al-Rahman Muhammad Tom, the spokesperson for the Sudanese police, revealed that since the war broke out over a year ago, the police have received nearly 50,000 crime reports which include attacks on public property as well as missing persons reports.

Al-Tom said, “The police have created an electronic reporting platform called Sudanpolice.net and allocated hotline number 223 to allow citizens who have been subjected to violations and crimes in conflict areas to report the incidents. These reports to date are as follows: 175 missing persons reports, 72 reports of assaults, and reports of stolen vehicles amounting to 38,040.”

The police spokesman said that they are working to recover looted property which has been smuggled abroad in cooperation with the International Police (Interpol), noting that they have already recovered dozens of stolen vehicles through contacts made with the governments of neighbouring South Sudan and Niger.

Brigadier General Fath al-Rahman Mohammed al-Tom also revealed the recapture of scores of inmates, who were released from prisons amidst the chaos that accompanied the insecurity and fighting in some states.

Al-Tom said, “The Department of Prison Forces was able to obtain a copy of the records of all the inmates who were released from prisons by the rebel militia. The Police Forces Presidency blocked these inmates in the passports system in case any of them tried to leave the country, and by doing so a number of them were arrested and returned to the prisons.”

“These lists were also circulated by the criminal investigation departments that are spread throughout the country so that they can arrest them whenever they appear in any city. There is also a plan to arrest and recover those who left the country through Interpol, which will be implemented as soon as the war stops,” he added.

He highlighted the police’s success in regrouping and restoring control to areas that are free of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militias, attributing their success to the force’s 126 years of experience.

“[The police service] was able in a short period to restore balance and regroup all its forces of officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers, and like the other government entities, it moved its headquarters to Port Sudan, Red Sea State,” al-Tom explained.

“It was able to reintroduce service systems to citizens in criminal, security, and service work, such as passports, civil registry, and traffic, and spread security in all parts of the states that do not suffer from the scourge of war. It is now performing well and has a clear plan for work on all axes; those of security, prevention, crime, and services,” he added.

This four-axis development plan was put in place in September last year, and Al-Tom elaborated on it.

“The first axis is administrative and concerned with providing work supplies and training the force to be able to deal with the new reality created by the war, and building the capabilities of officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers so they can deal with the reality that will exist after the war,” he said.

“In the criminal justice axis, we have developed an integrated plan to deal with the number of reports that were filed during the war, and to recover money, property, and movables that were looted from citizens in all war sites. [This will be done] by dealing with citizens’ reports, because the criminal case begins with the report.”

According to Al-Tom, the plan also includes “building the capacity of the General Department of Criminal Evidence, the Department of Criminal Investigations, the Department of Security Police, Drug Control, and all departments concerned with criminal work.”

Nonetheless, the spokesperson indicated that there is no Sudanese police presence in the areas currently controlled by the Rapid Support Forces, adding that many police officers are participating on the frontlines of ongoing battles against the RSF.