Publication

This report discusses the role of police personnel in UN peace operations. The authors argue that their responsibilities have grown from merely monitoring host nation police forces to reforming, restructuring and rebuilding police forces decimated or discredited by war. Where no effective local police capacity exists, UN police have assumed primary responsibility for maintaining law and order. Yet, the authors claim, the system for recruiting and deploying individual police for service in UN missions consistently fails to deliver high quality personnel to missions quickly and efficiently. They point out that resolving this long-standing problem is an increasingly urgent priority for the UN and offer potential solutions that are both feasible and affordable.