The Role and Functions of Civilian Police in United Nations Peace-Keeping Operations: Debriefing and Lessons

This text is based on a series of conferences, held under the auspices of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) of Singapore, on various aspects of UN peace-keeping operations. It covers the 1995 conference, which dealt with the role and functions of civilian police, and brought together nine of the eleven police commissioners involved in past and present UN peace-keeping operations, as well as heads of national police, policy makers, UN staff, lawyers and academics. The book is divided into two segments: the Executive Summary, followed by the papers presented. The Executive Summary, a concise synthesis of debates, is divided into five parts as follows: Part 1 provides an overall introduction to the current problems and the general background within which civilian police components of UN peace-keeping operations are required to function; Part II presents an outline of the common problems and challenges faced by many police commissioners in the conduct of their mandates; Part III highlights some of the key attributes and functions of civilian police, notably in the areas of institution building, human rights monitoring and community policing; Part IV reviews existing training at national, regional and international levels; and Part V offers general recommendations.