There is no universal way to do policing. Some countries have a single national police service, like Panama, Rwanda or Sweden. Countries such as Brazil and Germany have provincial police services. Other countries simply have police or gendarmerie, or both. But they each have a collective responsibility to protect civilians. The United Nations Police (UNPOL) brings together police officers from over 80 countries. These bring background and knowledge, and this melting pot creates a diverse organisation.
History
UNPOL has vastly expanded in scale and scope since the 1990s. In the past, the United Nations Police focused primarily on monitoring, observing and reporting. These priorities have now shifted to include interim policing and operational support. This diversity and complexity necessitated a unifying document that defines what we do and how we do our work. A common framework, a reference which every police officer would understand. At the basis, it would promote consistency in how we approach the many mandates of UNPOL.
Member States and the Department of Peace Operations have partnered to develop a strategic guidance framework to govern all aspects of United Nations police activities. The Strategic Guidance Framework for International Policing (SGF) aims to enhance the effectiveness of United Nations police through more consistent, harmonised, and gender-responsive approaches to the provision of public safety, police reform and support to host-state police services.
Its goal is to enable the more sophisticated recruitment of officers with the necessary specialised skills and competencies to meet contemporary demands and challenges in mission and non-mission settings.
As a result of what the UN Security Council termed “the inclusive consultative processes undertaken by the Police Division in the development of the Strategic Guidance Framework,” the first iteration of the Policy on United Nations Police in Peacekeeping Operations and Special Political Missions entered into effect in 2014. It was the first time in the UNPOL’s almost 80-year history that the mission, functions and structure were clearly defined. The Police Division has subsequently complemented it with more in-depth guidance on UNPOL’s four core pillars identified in the Policy as well as with thematic manuals on a variety of police specialisms. Together, these documents have formed the cascading guidance architecture which is known as SGF.
It is not only about creating a shared understanding of tasks. It ensures that police officers clearly understand what their job is, how they should carry it out, and what standards they are expected to meet. This approach also guides how officers are trained, how their work is reviewed, and how lessons are learned to improve future policing.
Guidelines on Police Administration
Police administration is the backbone of UN policing. Many UNPOL come to peacekeeping missions with extensive experience in capacity-building, or operations, or command in their home countries.
But performing administrative functions within the unique environment of a UN police component may be the most challenging to comprehend. Yet, without efficient and effective systems to process payroll, manage vehicles, promote staff welfare, assess performance or ensure appropriate conduct, peacekeepers cannot perform any of their mandated tasks.
The workshop for the development of these Guidelines took place in Brindisi, Italy, at the base of the Standing Police Capacity from 19-21 July 2016. Organised by the United Nations in cooperation with the Government of Italy and the Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU), the event brought together 45 participants from 32 Member States, regional and international partners, think tanks and government agencies, as well as senior administrative officers from six UN missions.
The Guidelines are considered a kind of ‘handbook’ on police administration within a United Nations context. They provide Heads of Police Components (HOPCs), Police Chiefs of Staff (Police COS) and other senior staff with a clearer understanding of what police administration entails and how it fits within the everyday functioning of a United Nations field mission. The Guidelines empower police personnel serving in the component’s Administration Pillar to create and sustain an enabling environment for the conduct of a police component’s mandate-related activities.
With a view to harmonizing police practice across field missions, the Guidelines provide direction on broader administration-related matters, including the general structure of a police component, the development of its strategic plans, and coordination with the chiefs of other component pillars and police planning personnel.
To download the Guidelines on Police Administration, click here.
Guidelines on Police Capacity Building and Development
Since 2003, almost all new peacekeeping mission mandates have included police capacity-building and development.
To develop the Guidelines, the United Nations, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and the Challenges Forum co-organised a thematic consultation in Oslo, Norway, in March 2014 which brought together more than 100 experts from Member States, regional and subregional organisations, academia and think tanks to discuss what police capacity-building and development entails.
The Guidelines emphasise that police capacity-building and development is a long-term effort that must reach all levels of an institution, from individual police personnel, to groups or units of individuals within an organisation and whole institutions. For each level, the Guidelines refine the five key areas of support around which police capacity-building and development activities—including the provision of material support; training initiatives; monitoring, advising and mentoring; and the strengthening of accountability and oversight—should be based. They will enable the United Nations police to better design, implement, monitor and evaluate police capacity-building and development projects and programmes. In practice, the Guidelines will help police components determine which capacity-building and development activities, areas and training objectives to prioritise.
To download the Guidelines Police Capacity-Building and Development, click here.
Guidelines on Police Command
To develop the guidelines, almost 100 experts from Member States, think tanks and partner organizations including the African Union, joined current and former UN police commissioners in Pretoria, South Africa in October 2014 to discuss various aspects of police command. The workshop was organised by the United Nations together with the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria, the Swedish National Police and the support of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The guidelines complement the existing DPKO-DFS Policy on Authority, Command and Control in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (2008) with more detail for police commanders. They address managing human resources; capacity-building for transferring policing and law enforcement responsibilities to the host-State police; the zero-tolerance policy to sexual exploitation and abuse; human rights protection and employing intelligence-led policing strategies. The guidelines also include approaches on working with community members, including women, as full partners in policing activities; and facilitating the full participation of women and girls in decision-making, planning, implementation and oversight.
The aim of the Guidelines is to outline specific roles and responsibilities of United Nations police components – from the tactical-level police officer to the Police Commissioner – so each can conduct their work more effectively.
To download the Guidelines on Police Command, click here.
Guidelines on Police Operations
In some cases, however, the United Nations police are also authorised to assume partial or full executive policing responsibility, such as conducting investigations, special operations and maintaining public order while the host-State police and other law enforcement agencies regain functional self-sufficiency.
By defining a standardised set of principles and concepts the Guidelines on Police Operations assist mission planning and operations for United Nations police operations amid an expanding portfolio of tasks. The guidelines also detail the linkages with other mission components, as well as informing host-state police with a clear overview about how the United Nations police implements mission mandates.
The thematic consultation for the development of these Guidelines took place in Langfang, China, in June 2014. Organised by the United Nations and the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China, the event brought together experts from Member States, regional and subregional organisations as well as academia and think tanks.
The document includes guidance on conducting investigations, using criminal intelligence, or supporting the host-State police and other law enforcement in the conduct of these roles and responsibilities. The guidelines outline procedures for special operations and ensuring public safety, based on United Nations policing strategies that are oriented towards serving the community. As United Nations police peacekeeping differs fundamentally from domestic policing, the guidelines offer access to the approaches, concepts and principles for how United Nations police conducts operations.
To download the Guidelines on Police Operations, click here.