United Nations Police

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 in 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 their 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.

UNPOL may also be responsible for:

• Policy and guidance development: Creating policy and guidance and defining the parameters of international police peacekeeping.
• Strategic planning: Strengthening the Police Division's resources and ability to conduct strategic planning.
• Selection and recruitment processes: Improving efforts to recruit, select, deploy and rotate highly qualified staff in missions. Increasing the number of female officers in the UN Police service.
• Operational support to missions through the Standing Police Capacity: Increasing the effectiveness of the operational support provided by the Standing Police Capacity.
• Response to Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV): Strengthening its response to sexual and gender-based violence and creating guidance to assist its police officers.
• Global Lead, partnerships and regional cooperation: leading the area of international policing and developing partnerships for more effective delivery of its mandates.

Current operations

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

• 1960: the 2nd police officers are used in the UN Operation in Congo (ONUC)
• 1964: marks the first time the formal police component is used in the UN Peacekeeping force in Cyprus
• 1989: saw the increased use of the UN Police because of the end of the Cold War.

- Police are used in peacekeeping operations in Namibia, El Salvador, and Mozambique

• 1995: The UN Police is instrumental in the UN mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

- Recognised as a central tool for helping countries recover from conflict

• 1999: UN Police are deployed to Kosovo
• 2000: 5840 UN Police are on peacekeeping missions
• 2006: The standing capacity is established
• 2007: A half women FPU is sent from India to Liberia

- Officers are also sent to Darfur

Functions

Some of the functions of the UN Police include:

• Interim law enforcement

Responsible for policing and all law enforcement. Some examples are the operations in Kosovo and Timor-Leste

• Formed police units

These are used for crowd control and quelling riots

• Protecting UN personnel

- They also work in tandem with local law enforcement