MOGADISHU, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said on Tuesday that it has kicked off a week-long training to enhance communication skills of Somali police officers to help improve their interaction with members of the public.

The AU mission said the training aims to strengthen relations between security officers and the public and help Somali Police establish communication departments, within the force, in all the federal member states.

Simon Mulongo, Deputy Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (DSRCC) for Somalia, said the training, organized by the police component of AMISOM, is being attended by officers drawn from Mogadishu and the five federal member states.

"As part of your work as a police force in this country, you need to have skills, knowledge and capabilities to make people know what the police force in Somalia stands for and you can do this by speaking out," Mulongo said in a statement.

He described the training as timely, adding that the skills learned will help improve cooperation between officers and the public on security matters.

He noted that the training was part of the transition plan, which requires AMISOM to prepare Somali national security institutions to take over the country's security once AMISOM's mandate comes to an end.