Does community policing work in Latin America? What can be learned from experiences of community policing in Mexico City? This paper analyses the experiences of community policing in Mexico City since 2006, and critiques the theory and practice of the approach applied to Latin American countries. Community policing is widely promoted as beneficial to urban law and order through ...» more
Library
This e-library contains more than 4500 external publications on governance, social development, conflict and humanitarian issues. It includes academic and grey literature selected for its basis in good quality research and coverage of a range of perspectives. Policy-oriented summaries of each document are provided, plus links to the full text.
Civil Society and Security Transformation in Medellin: Challenges and Opportunities
What attempts have been made to transform security in Medellin, Colombia? What role could civil society play in addressing violence? Security sector transformation should consider the content of the security agenda as well as security structures and actors. Civil society organisations have valuable understanding of local community needs. They could help to revise security goals ...» more
Security Sector Reform Monitor: Haiti, April 2010
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 ...» more
Haiti: Stabilisation and Reconstruction After the Quake
What are the challenges of and priorities for establishing post-disaster security and stability in Haiti? This paper finds that historical institutional and governance weaknesses and deep poverty compound Haiti's humanitarian crisis. An integrated, long-term reconstruction strategy is needed, based on a very broad political and social consensus. It is important to resume and ...» more
Insurgency, Militias and DDR as Part of Security Sector Reconstruction in Iraq: How Not to Do It
How should disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) be approached in Iraq in order to address the violence perpetuated by myriad armed groups? This article identifies possible strategies for this sensitive and controversial process by identifying, through comparison with Afghanistan, how not to carry out such programmes. Appropriate preparation for such a process is ...» more
Squaring the Circle: Palestinian Security Reform under Occupation
What recent changes have taken place in the Palestinian security sector? Have these improved the long-term prospects for peace? This report examines the security situation in the Palestinian West Bank since the second intifada of 2000. The Palestinian Authority (PA) has improved the security environment through security sector reorganisation and by tackling militant groups, but ...» more
Security Sector Reform and Transitional Justice in Kenya
What is the state of security and the security sector in Kenya? What approaches for security sector transformation are desirable for Kenya and how might they be pursued? This paper synthesises findings from a workshop on 'Security Sector Reforms in Kenya: Evaluating Progress, Catalyzing Transformation, Forging Political Will'. It finds that reforms have tended to be inadequate ...» more
The Role of Civil Society and the Media
How can civil society and the media help build integrity and reduce the risk of corruption in the defence and security sectors? This chapter argues that civil society and the media can play a key oversight role in the defence sector and build public support for more accountable democratic governance. Efforts are needed to promote an enabling environment for civil society and ...» more
Agents of Fear: The National Security Service in Sudan
Is the Government of Sudan abiding by its human rights commitments under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement 2005 and other regional and international agreements? This report by Amnesty International catalogues a plethora of human rights abuses in Sudan.In 2005 the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed, ending over 20 years of war between north and south Sudan. A pillar ...» more
The Ballot and the Badge: Democratic Policing
How do police training programmes support or undermine post-conflict reconstruction? This article analyses the importance of democratic policing to rebuilding the state after conflict. International policing and police training missions in post-conflict and fragile states have been fragmented, ad hoc, and rarely focused on the principles of democratic policing. When a new ...» more
Multi-level Governance and Security: The Security Sector Reform Process in the Central African Republic
How is security governance organised in the Central African Republic (CAR)? Is international assistance helping security governance to become more democratic? This paper uses a multi-level governance approach to analyse the relationships between national and international actors in the CAR's Security Sector Reform (SSR). Despite a policy that emphasises increasingly ...» more
Haiti: Police and Law Enforcement
This document outlines challenges to SSR in Haiti, focusing on policing and law enforcement. The country experienced six international interventions and two multinational forces between 1993 and 2004. However, despite these and robust SSR programming in support of the rule of law, Haiti remains a failed state facing numerous challenges. SSR activities are hampered by Haiti's ...» more
Gender, Women and Security Sector Reform
This article examines gender and SSR, outlines the challenges of adopting a gender-sensitive SSR approach, and analyses gender-based violence (GBV) and justice reform as part of SSR.The security needs, interests and priorities of women and men in any given context are different. These differences are especially acute in post-conflict situations due to high levels of insecurity. ...» more
Children and Security Sector Reform in Post-Conflict Peace-Building
How does Security Sector Reform (SSR) affect children? What are the roles of children and youth in supporting improved security and post-conflict peace building? This paper analyses these questions from the perspectives of rights obligations, protecting social capital, demographics, and breaking the cycle of violence.Armed conflict is particularly detrimental for young people. ...» more
Building Ownership in Palestinian Security Sector Reform
How do Palestinians assess Palestinian ownership in security sector reform? How could such ownership be improved? This report outlines the findings of working groups of local stakeholders. While perceiving donor support as critical for the success of security sector reform, participants expressed dissatisfaction with donor control of the planning and implementation of reform ...» more
Liberia: Nonstate Security Actors
How should Security Sector Reform in Liberia take account of the role of non-state actors? This study finds that community-based actors and mechanisms have been filling the security gap as the state-centred reform of the security sector has been underway. However, non-state actors may become spoilers unless they are better integrated into the SSR process. The success of SSR in ...» more
Transforming Internal Security in Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone Police and Broader Justice Sector Reform
This report finds that the service improvements arising from SSR processes in Sierra Leone are threatened by questionable long-term affordability. Further, rebuilding the SLP with a mandate to provide internal security was an explicit state-building exercise; the case of Sierra Leone highlights the focus of international SSR interventions on state agencies, even in the absence ...» more
National Implementation of the Proposed Arms Trade Treaty: A Practical Guide
What will be the core elements of national systems for the control of international transfers of arms under the proposed international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)? This guide sets out a framework for functional and effective national systems of control. Elements of a national control system must include licensing, enforcement, and external outreach (to industry, international ...» more
The Twenty-First Century Armed Forces of the Philippines: Orphan of Counter-Insurgency or Military Geared for the Long War of the Century?
What have the consequences been of the Philippine military's longstanding focus on low-intensity conflict (LIC)? The Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) continuous campaign against communist and secessionist insurgents (together with its inability to modernise and the post-1992 disruption in US military assistance) have adversely affected its structure and combat efficiency. ...» more
Addressing Violence Against Women in Security and Justice Programmes
How can violence against women and girls (VAW) be addressed more effectively in security and justice (S&J) programmes? This paper outlines how S&J programmes have addressed VAW and provides suggestions for improvement. Engagement with civil society is important; CSOs can help women to articulate their experience and can advocate for institutional and social change. A focus on ...» more
