Spotlight: An effective role for police in AU peace support operations

Through training and technical assistance, the ISS supports African Union efforts to include police in continental peace operations.

Published on 29 October 2015 in Impact

As a key partner in the Training for Peace (TfP) Programme, the Institute for Security Studies works with the African Union (AU) to include police in continental security policies and structures, especially relating to peace operations. Effective peace operations depend not only on soldiers but also on police who embrace the rule of law and human rights in conflict and post-conflict settings.

‘The absence of any reference to the role of police in key documents, such as the Protocol that established the AU Peace and Security Council, shows a fundamental gap in the AU’s security architecture’, says Annette Leijenaar, Head of the Conflict Management and Peacebuilding division at the ISS.

The ISS has extensive experience in training police for peace operations

ISS-TfP aims to enhance police capabilities in AU and United Nations peace support operations. At the request of the AU Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD) Police component, ISS-TfP helped establish the Police Strategic Support Group (PSSG) in 2014. The group champions the improved representation of African police in AU Peace and Security Council discussions, which are traditionally dominated by the military. It ensures that police have the same importance as the military in decision making for African peace operations.

At the first conference of the PSSG hosted by ISS and GIZ in 2014, African police commissioners, together with representatives of the AU and regional economic communities discussed how to better position the police within the AU peace support operations structure. Agreement was reached on the need for a code of conduct and ethics, consistent police policies and guidelines, Standardised Operating Procedures, as well as common training standards.

The ISS has extensive experience in training police for peace operations, including pre-deployment training, ‘train the trainer’ sessions and training on specific subjects such as sexual and gender based violence. It also provides technical assistance to the AU PSOD in the form of a full-time project coordinator to help ensure that the AU Police (AUPOL) statute, guidelines and standards are implemented at the continental level. 

Three of the four PSSG task team meetings scheduled for 2015 have been held, with the last meeting planned for 19 – 21 November in Addis Ababa. The AUPOL statute, policy and most recently the guidelines and standards for individually deployed police officers have been drafted and await approval by the AU. At the strategic level, African police chiefs and the PSSG will meet in Algiers in December to discuss progress.

For more information, contact:

Annette Leijenaar, ISS: +27 82 908 1877, [email protected]