United Nations Police

Summary

Since the 1960s, the United Nations have been positioning police officers in certain peace operations. These operations were originally limited to monitoring, observing and reporting, but by the early 1990s, advising, mentoring and training of these personnel were adopted into the activities of the peace operations. This UN Police force now acts as a corrective power with domestic police and other law enforcement organisations.

The United Nations Police are a significant part of the United Nations agency and they lead by promoting peace and security. This is evident through the daily patrolling, advising of other domestic police services and their insurance to uphold human rights. They restore the public safety and the rule of law through the United Nations. Their role has expanded rapidly over the last decade. Not only has the United Nations almost tripled the number of police authorised for deployment, but also the United Nations Police now has control over mandating multi-dimensional roles within the system. In the UN missions in Kosovo and East Timor, UN Police were given an executive mandate to safeguard law and order while facilitating the launch of a new domestic police service. The UN Police mission in Kosovo helped to successfully establish the Kosovo Police Service, while in Timor-Leste, districts of the country have been continuously handed over to the National Police, while UN Police return to their more traditional role of advising and supervising operations. In the past 15 years, the number of United Nations Police officers in action has significantly increased from 5,840 to 17,500.

The UN Police are typically deployed with military personnel in most of the “peacekeeping operations” and are also advisers in special UN political missions. Their duties are specific to the type of mission that is given. Also the roles of the policemen differ according to the mandate of the mission they are working. For example, some of their missions include policing inside refugee or internally displaced persons camps, mentoring or training national police officers, providing help in certain types of investigations and helping address transnational crimes. All of these projects sum up the overall aim of the UN Police to reinforce and create conditions for sustainable peace and development.

Duties

The duties and roles of the UN Police (UNPOL) component in a Peacekeeping Operation or in a Special Political Mission may vary, depending on each mission's reality.

The host-State policing institutions are, often, primarily responsible for the link between the government and security issues. Therefore, UNPOL play an important role on building the capacity of the host government policing institutions and other law enforcement agencies, specially in conflict and post conflict situations, including technical assistance, co-location, training and mentoring programs, where mandated.

Essentially, there are three different categories to work in United Nations Police Component:

1) As an Individual Police Officer (IPO): An IPO is temporary seconded, individually, to work within United Nations and share his/her knowledge with the host-State policing institutions. United Nations efforts are to bring high specialized officers to mission areas. Some of the requirements to work as an Individual Police Officer, for instance, are to be at least 25 years old, maximum 62, with a minimum police-related working experience of 5 years.

2) As part of a Formed Police Unit (FPU) component: FPU roles includes crowd control and protection of UN assets. The whole component is assessed as a unit before being deployed to a peacekeeping operation

3) As a professional and higher categories staff: This kind of appointment may allow you to initiate a career in United Nations, and often a master's degree or higher education is required. The salaries are higher and this include special functions in a mission like Chiefs and Senior Police Advisers.

Also, UNPOL may be responsible for:

Guinea

The United Nations Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OCHR) expressed its deep concern over excessive use of force by Guinea’s security forces against demonstrators ahead of long-delayed presidential run-off polls. One man was killed and more than 60 others injured when Government forces used live fire in their effort to quell demonstrations in the capital, Conakry.

The Office said that while it appreciated that authorities had a difficult task in dealing with the demonstrations, which in some cases degenerated into violence, including stone throwing. But it said that it believes Government forces committed serious rights violations by indiscriminately shooting at unarmed civilians, sometimes at point-blank range; breaking into and ransacking private homes; and severely beating young men who put up no resistance. Some of the security forces’ operations appeared to target entire areas indiscriminately and little effort was made to distinguish between violent protestors and those who had taken no part in the demonstrations, OHCHR said. It has also been confirmed that an unknown number of people were arbitrarily denied lawyers, also breaking the law.

Afghanistan

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council have begun strongly condemning the suicide attack on the United Nations compound in Afghanistan's western city of Herat, where members of staff of the UN mission in the country and other agencies are based. There were no casualties among the UN staff, but some security guards were wounded, the spokesperson of the Secretary-General said in a statement. A number of assailants were killed in the attack, and the UN is conducting a full investigation. In addition, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) also condemned the attack and stressed that the Organisation was in the country to support efforts to restore peace and provide humanitarian and development assistance to the people. The attack did not disrupt UN activities in Herat, however.

Sudan

The United Nations stands ready to assist the upcoming referendum that will decide whether southern Sudan declares independence from Africa’s largest country, an official with the world body said today, with voter registration set to kick off in two weeks. During voting day, more than 3,000 registration kits for distribution in southern Sudan and 840 kits for the north, along with registration books and cards, were handed over to the SSRC and its bureau in Juba, the southern capital.

Timeline

Functions

Some of the functions of the UN Police include: