In addition, the Police Division is developing a United Nations Police Commanders course, targeting senior police leaders. It will lay the foundation for better trained United Nations Police Commanders.
The course will be in compliance with the Strategic Guidance Framework for international police peacekeeping and clarify the roles and tasks of senior United Nations police officers. It will lead to a stronger and more flexible pool of police professionals serving under the United Nations flag.
Rationale for the course
United Nations police commanders deploy to multidimensional peacekeeping operations and special political missions that are fundamentally different from their domestic policing contexts. This requires them to lead and manage police operations, and to forge relationships with elements that may not ordinarily interface in a domestic setting.
As a result, United Nations police commanders need to be competent to lead multi-cultural teams and be well versed in strategic planning, mentoring, monitoring and evaluation, project management and oversight, gender and environmental mainstreaming, human rights integration into planning and operations, strategic communication and outreach, community engagement, international police cooperation and operating in multi-dimensional environments.
Development of the Police Commanders
To better prepare future senior police commanders (at P-5 to D-2 level), the Police Division and the Integrated Training Service in the Department of Peace Operations started to develop a United Nations Police Commanders course in 2016.
A two-day United Nations Police Commanders’ Course curriculum development workshop with 70 participants from 15 Member States, six partner organizations and Heads of UN police components in UN peace operations took place on 24 and 25 May at the United Nations Global Service Centre (UNGSC) in Brindisi, Italy. During the workshop participants provided input to curriculum and guidance for the development of the police commanders' course content and material.
“By developing the Police Commanders Course curriculum we will fill one of the last missing pieces in the senior leadership architecture for peacekeeping and special political missions. Coming out of this course we should be able to have people who are proficient in the implementation of the Strategic Guidance Framework as well as proficient in thinking about police operations within broader political context of mandate implementations”.
Mark Pedersen, Chief of the Integrated Training Services (ITS)
Launch of the Police Commanders course
The validation workshop for the course was first planned in 2018 for the heads of United Nations police components. Following their feedback and adjustments, the first course was offered to the candidates who have been selected for the Senior Police Leadership Roster in mid-2018. The training continues.
