UN peacekeepers were handing over charge of security for Freetown to Sierra Leone’s nascent police and armed forces, the latest step in a staggered withdrawal after a five-year mission to restore calm to the west African state. “We are confident in their abilities, we have tested them and seen what they are able to do and we know how to help them improve on their weaknesses,” Hudson Benzu, the UN civilian police commissioner, told AFP. “We are not going away, though — we will be hanging around to continue to help them, to continue to train them and to reassure the public that they are ready.” Full Story