Haiti has trained more than 2,000 police officers under its P4000 program, putting the government past the halfway mark of its goal of 4,000 new officers, Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé said during high-level talks at the United Nations.

P4000 is designed to speed up recruitment and training for the Haitian National Police (PNH) as the government tries to build its own security capacity. Another class of officers is expected to graduate in November.

The army is growing too. More than 1,500 soldiers have been trained, and the government plans to train 15,000 over the next three years. Defense Minister Mario Andresol said the priority is making sure the forces can protect civilians.

“Haiti's security must ultimately rest on the capabilities of the Haitian state,” Fils-Aimé said.

Haitian forces work alongside the international Gang Suppression Force, which is authorized for about 5,550 personnel but operates well below that level, and private security companies that support anti-gang operations. Gang violence has displaced about 1.5 million people.

The UN Security Council votes on September 30 on renewing the Gang Suppression Force, with Haiti's first elections in a decade planned for December.