The November 28 polls will be the second time the Congolese have voted since the end of a war in 2003 which left millions dead, and the first time local authorities themselves have taken the lead in organising an election.
Gunbattles between militias of rival candidates left hundreds dead in the capital Kinshasa after the 2006 vote, which was largely managed by international players.
This time none of the presidential hopefuls have private armies, but the U.N. head of police told Reuters a lack of training and non-lethal equipment among the country’s estimated 110,000 police officers could lead to problems.
He added the United Nations was urging police to use only “conventional” crowd control tools such as teargas and batons.
The police have received help from international partners in the run-up to the elections, including the training of around 4,000 “rapid reaction” officers to head off potential trouble.
“(This) progress is largely insufficient, but there are moves towards the professionalisation of some elements of the police,” Wafy said of internationally backed efforts to reform a force known for corruption and human rights abuses.