Port-au-Prince, February 19, 2026.- The spokesperson of the National Union of Haitian Police (SYNAPOHA), Mathieuny Sidel, pleads for an immediate restoration of the discipline within the National Police of Haiti (PNH). Speaker this Thursday, February 19, 2026 on the airwaves of Magik9, he flaunted the past few years, while recalling that the wearing of uniform is not an option, but the basis of the legitimacy of the state.
For Mathieuny Sidel, the police identity crisis begins with the neglected dress. He recalls that uniform is the primary tool for identifying the police officer by the population. « A uniformed policeman represents legitimate authority »he said, regretting that practices such as wearing the hood have become widespread outside any legal framework. According to him, this opacity creates dangerous confusion, even facilitating criminal acts such as kidnappings by individuals dressed in false uniforms.
Discipline and professionalism
The trade unionist stresses that cleanliness, shaving and proper dress are an integral part of the police science curriculum from the National Police School. It attributes the current slippage to a « negligence of chiefs » have failed to implement existing regulations. Sidel insists: for the police to be able to secure the population, it must itself be a solid institution, governed by the law and not by the individual whim.
The police officer's safety in the face of principles
While acknowledging the extreme risks to which agents have been exposed since 2021, the spokesperson for SYNAPOHA rejects the idea that personal protection must always take precedence over the discipline of the institution. While he admits the use of undercover strategies for the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ), he demands that regular intervention units be clearly identifiable to restore confidence and pride among the population.
W.A.
