What are Haiti’s security challenges and SSR priorities following the 2010 earthquake? This report finds that – with infrastructure devastated and the police acting as relief facilitators – some SSR priorities will change dramatically, yet many existing challenges will be amplified. Justice reform is lagging behind police and prison reform, donor coordination in SSR is still lacking, and most Haitians want their country to have a second armed force. Inequitable development is a key security risk, and state-building must be prioritised as the only enduring solution to poverty, insecurity and instability.
In January 2010, Haiti experienced a magnitude-seven earthquake that levelled much of the capital and left over 200,000 people dead. Security threats had once again been emerging even before this disaster, however. The stability dividends that Haiti had been enjoying had mostly benefited the elite and the private sector, and frustrations among unemployed and impoverished youth had been rising.
Other pre-existing and ongoing emerging security threats are the illicit economy and violent incidents along the border with the Dominican Republic, plus apparently increasing crime rates. There are particularly high numbers of armed robberies and rapes.
Programmes to reform and strengthen the Haitian National Police (HNP) have achieved visible results. However, while police and prison reform plans are progressing, justice reform has stalled. Haiti’s (relatively high) security budget is largely absorbed by the HNP, leaving few resources for other areas. Further:
- The HNP Inspection Générale, responsible for internal investigations and vetting, remains weak even after two years of reform.
- Police vetting is largely driven by the UN mission. The vetting process has been plagued by a lack of political will at the national level, tepid institutional will within the HNP, complacency from the international community, and limited competence and collaboration among key stakeholders.
- Coordination is still lacking among donors, despite the creation of formal coordination mechanisms.
- Lack of resources is a major problem; the last two cohorts of HNP recruits promoted to regular duty could not be trained to fire weapons due to a lack of ammunition.
- The army no longer exists in practice, but consultative Presidential commissions in 2007 and 2009 found that the majority of the population believed a second armed force or military was needed.
- In addition, the earthquake demonstrated the need for a specialist civilian protection force to focus on the aftermath of natural disasters.
- Assessing and addressing Haiti’s small arms problem is difficult in the absence of reliable survey data accepted by all stakeholders.
Sustained development programming is essential in meeting the needs of Haiti’s most vulnerable. Frustrations among Haiti’s poorest and among unemployed youth must be addressed in order to avoid unrest and manipulation by spoilers promoting personal agendas. In addition:
- International support must focus on providing training for HNP managers and senior officers, improved crime scene investigation capacity, instruction on urban warfare and the development of procedures for explosives management.
- National debate on a governmental strategy for the security sector is urgently needed.
- A public security policy must then be defined according to national aspirations, external and internal threats, and actual financial capacities, even if this policy is not in line with the thinking of the international donor community.
