|
|
|
During the first decades of peacekeeping, police working in missions were mainly involved in 'monitoring, observing and recording' activities. They kept track of events but did not undertake policing activities themselves.
Decades of experience has taught the United Nations that re-establishing the rule of law is critical to helping countries avoid a relapse into conflict once the blue helmets have withdrawn.
Today, to build institutional police capacity in post-conflict environments, UN police are helping redesign police structures vetting and training future police leaders and imparting specialized skills. UN police officers help run national police academies and teach crime-scene investigation, human rights and ethics, marksmanship, crowd control, traffic management, leadership as well as community and democratic policing.
UN policing has increased in size and complexity over the past few years. There are now more than 11,000 UN Police deployed around the world, with that number expected to increase to 16,900 in the coming year as they build up their presence in Darfur, Chad and the Central African Republic. UN police also now deploy in whole units trained in important tactics such as emergency response and crowd control. This innovation provides UN operations with a critically important capacity in between the deployment of military force and unarmed observers.
|
|
|
A UN police officer from Ghana stands guard in Leopoldville, Republic of the Congo. United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC) Leopoldville, Republic of the Congo, 7 August 1960, UN Photo, UN 66410
|
A Portuguese police officer advises her Timorese counterpart on the protection of trucks and camp sites. United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) Dilli, Timor-Leste, 6 February 2008, UN Photo/Martine Perret
|
