Warzones, peacekeeping and police: using modern day policing strategies to strengthen UNPOL and peacekeeping operations

Abstract

The purpose of this collective qualitative case study was to compare the training protocols of UNPOL officers from different countries over the course of three different missions. Five United Nations Police Officers participated in this study, two served in Bosnia, two in Haiti, and one in Congo. Each participant was selected either through a social media search or a small snowball sample. Each participant underwent a semi structured interview in which they detailed their training experiences and spoke on their perception of the effectiveness of their training. Participants were also asked about their field experiences and their assigned mission area. The answers of the UNPOL officers were coded and analyzed for themes, and compared against official UN Training Documents, Member State Training Documents, and official data from the missions. The ultimate goal was to determine the effectiveness of UNPOL pre-deployment and initial post-deployment training protocols and assess, based on officers and current policing literature, areas where the process could be improved. Results indicated that the training officers received varied so greatly that there was virtually no way to ensure that all or even most officers received ethics or sexual exploitation and abuse training prior to deployment. Results also indicated that UNPOL was weak in the area of Internal Investigations, and that there appears to be an educational divide among officers. This research also indicated that differing cultural norms among contributing countries was likely not the culprit in SEA offenses