Deadly Delay - HIV/AIDS And The Police In Southern Africa
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7 July 2008: Deadly Delay – HIV/AIDS And The Police In Southern Africa
Over the last two decades, HIV/AIDS has entered our consciousness as an incomprehensible calamity, taking tremendous human toll, inflicting pain and grief, causing fear and uncertainty and threatening economic devastation. It is arguably with such bleak background information that police officers drawn from the twelve member states of the South African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation convened at the Matsapha Police College in the Royal Kingdom of Swaziland in late June 2008 to participate in a HIV/AIDS trainers’ course. The week-long course aimed to both provide knowledge and skills to protect police personnel from contracting HIV/AIDS, to better manage the risks encountered in their work environment, to be aware of the consequences of the disease and fight against HIV/AIDS related stigma and discrimination.
From the onset, the candour and commitment the participants displayed to tackle the destabilising effect of HIV- infection among police personnel was evidently robust. The course explored the inner sanctums of health politics, and the uneasy environment generated by HIV/AIDS. It was in essence a discussion that unravelled the challenges the police face in probably other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa as well.
This training, conducted by the Training for Peace Programme at the Institute for Security Studies, is designed to train and sensitise police services - both in their capacities as a vulnerable group, and as service providers - with peer education selected as the strategy for this capacity building initiative. This has proven to be one of the most effective approaches to address HIV/AIDS issues of prevention, care and support. This is because the peer educators have an in-depth understanding of the realities of the work environment of their trainees and can therefore make relevant and meaningful interventions to address gaps in the workplace environment, with the support of policy makers and management.
Prior to the training, a rapid needs assessment was undertaken with the course participants to assess their knowledge levels, attitudes and behaviour toward HIV/AIDS. The findings indicated reasonable levels of knowledge about ethical and legal rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, with many clear about their roles in its prevention and care. A few however did not perceive themselves as vulnerable; hence the course helped to strengthen their own awareness of HIV/AIDS. It was also established that while there is acceptance of HIV/AIDS as a policy issue within the national police services, stigma and discrimination poses a challenge to police personnel living with HIV/AIDs in respect of confidentiality and subsequent support from management within the police service.
In national responses to HIV/AIDS, the training of police personnel is considered to be vitally important due to several reasons. Firstly, police personnel can be seen as catalysts for changing behaviour as they are mandated to protect citizens and enjoy high credibility and respect in most communities. Secondly they are in direct line of contact with risky situations in the work environment. However, there are instances where, because of their stature in society, some police personnel exploit the vulnerability of the very people they are supposed to protect. It is therefore vital to have a good understanding of the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS such as transmission, access to treatment, prevention and care as well as the stigma and discrimination associated with the epidemic.
There is ample evidence to indicate that peer education cannot function in isolation. It requires total commitment from the management and the educators, and most importantly, linkages with other services. This is where the disparity in experiences from the course participants was evident and where broad strategic plans designed to guide countries to deal with the epidemic in a harmonised way, to maximise efficiency and effectiveness, were lacking. In place were piece-meal legislation that were not supported by national budgetary allocations to establish appropriate and sustainable mechanisms to prevent, manage and mitigate the impact of the HIV/AIDS on regional police forces.
It was obvious during the course that the participants were concerned about what significant impact the epidemic had on their country’s criminal justice system. This is where there is likely to be a change in the quantity and complexity of services required of the police. The capacity of the police personnel is also likely to be undermined as an increasing number of their officers succumb to the epidemic. It was very clear that the link between HIV/AIDS and the rise of criminality should be interrogated more with country-specific research, and with more resources devoted to health and welfare services. Indeed, HIV/AIDS on an epidemic scale can affect the capacity of the police personnel, with the demand side problems having to deal with higher and new forms of crime, being compounded on the supply-side as the ability of the police force will be undermined.
According to participants, the course succeeded in imparting both skills and knowledge to assist those infected and affected; put into practice prevention and management practices; and advocate for prevention. It is agreed that a sustained and effective response on behalf of governments is the only way to ensure effective and efficient HIV/AIDS prevention and management strategies are implemented. Thus, an integrated and holistic response is required. The challenge remains the establishment of work-place strategies and mechanisms in institutions at all levels.
In conclusion, varied and innovative approaches to capacity building of the police in addressing HIV/AIDS in the workplace leads to the sharing of experiences and perspectives. Empowering them with clear messages on HIV/AIDS, as well as practical information and skills, will enable police personnel to make their own decisions regarding risks whether personal or work-related, within the framework of conducive policy environments.
It is only then that the enthusiastic and dedicated Matsapha class of 2008 can make meaningful inroads in their national police services to address policy and operational interventions that aim to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS, ensuring that such interventions match the scale and gravity of the challenges they are confronting.
Sandra Oder, Senior Researcher, Training for Peace Programme, ISS Tshwane (Pretoria)
