OCCASIONAL PAPER NO. 5, MAY 2015 Principles of International Police Command
In the past twenty years policing and police reform have become integral to international peace operations. UN Police mandates are increasingly more complex and operational environments less stable. At the same time, many of the doctrinal fundamentals for international police peacekeeping at the operational and tactical level are absent or remain work in progress. As a consequence, policing in peace operations needs especially strong leadership.
Among the important challenges is that the political expectations and operational demands on an international Police Commander usually are greater than what Police Commanders are prepared for based on their domestic experience and training.
A key priority must be to focus efforts on identifying sound principles of international police command and, based on these, developing guiding principles. The critical element would then be in place for bespoke training to better prepare future Police Commanders for international peace operations.
Maureen Brown is a retired UK Chief Police Officer with recent international police advisory experience in Libya and Somalia. She is currently Police Adviser to the International Forum for the Challenges of Peace Operations.
William Durch is Co-Director of the Future of Peace Operations program at the Stimson Center, Senior Adviser to the International Forum for the Challenges of Peace Operations and former Project Director for the Panel on UN Peace Operations (the ‘Brahimi Report’).
Henrik Stiernblad is Chief Superintendent with the Swedish National Police and has served in several international command positions, most recently as Police Commissioner in UNMIL.