Political unrest is still evidenced in some states today, presenting an ugly picture. The United Nations (UN) mandate to restore order and a good political climate in politically unstable countries has led to International Civilian Police. The mandate aims to prevent crime, handle crime, prevent human life loss due to war, and ensure the property is not destroyed. Politically unstable countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, and several others have lagged in infrastructure development due to wars. Peacekeeping missions and programs have therefore helped promote the welfare of the citizens in such states. The UN has deployed many police officers in executing its peacekeeping mission[1]. This article elaborates on the safety and security risks faced by the international police in their peacekeeping mission.
The legal system in Kosovo collapsed, leading to executive policing. Therefore, the process of prosecuting a suspect was challenging, making the police spend 72 hours holding the suspect. The international police were not aware of the local Kosovo criminal codes. At the same time, the local police officers were also not aware of the international standards in policing, presenting a significant challenge in prosecuting; this also endangered their safety.[2] There was also a shortage of cells leading to poor living conditions, which exposed the police to health risks of getting infected with diseases. Efforts were made to rebuild the cells to meet the international standards with donations from the Italian Government.
Regions like Darfur in Sudan, Myanmar, Srebrenica, Iraq, Sri Lanka are places where conflicts are more violent. In such an environment, traumatic events and severe injuries from bombings may occur. Such a scenario presents the risk of death to the international police in such areas. The suggested solution is to develop the United Nations Emergency Peace Service to boost the existing UN programs in those nations. This proposal was a Canadian Idea in good faith with the hope of solving humanitarian issues in a different region of the world affected by civil wars. It’s true that without a “UN 911,” both the police officers and the residents may be exposed to more danger.[3] A “UN 911” will also help make the operations of the civilian police more efficient, thereby helping reduce crimes and atrocities in this region. It is important to note that implementing programs such as “UN 911”; may cost more than 4.5 billion dollars.[4] The ever-increasing cost of implementing such programs poses a doubt about whether the officers will achieve their objectives without overexposing to risks.
Surveys concerning the experiences of police in police-dominated complaint systems indicate the police were quite satisfied with such systems; however, some officers expressed their views that complaint systems are biased and favor citizens over the police. The complaint systems also lack adequate transparency, and there is also evidence of information leakage through the investigators.[5] Such factors affect the morale of officers negatively as they try to help in handling criminal cases to reduce human rights violations. With the help of Mediation, the police received relief in their duties and complaint systems. The use of Mediation helped in improving the satisfaction levels of the police in their duties.
Afghanistan and Iraq give us two examples of a breakdown of important government institutions due to instability over a long period. It becomes more challenging to work in such environments, and there is even more danger of attacks and injuries.[6] Heath risks to various diseases are ever-present in such hostile environments. It is not entirely the same in Kosovo, but the judicial system breakdown presents a risk to stress and depression to the police since handling the prosecution process was not easy.
It is climate change that increases health risks to the international police. Climate change has resulted from global warming due to the emission of harmful gases. The increased manufacturing of nuclear weapons increases the threat of destruction to civilians and the police. Medical teams and mobile hospitals and disaster assistance programs have been used to curb this risk and minimize conflict and threats in unstable regions. The standards of living of the police continue to be affected by the insufficient funding to the UN, which translates to the income of the individual police officers.[7] There is a need for more funding to increase the safety of the police.
In conclusion, the risk of injury is even higher in political unrest tensions since war can outbreak at any given time. The risk includes the vulnerability to accidents due to poor infrastructure in some countries where infrastructure is not well developed. As explained in the article, Heath risks are due to a poor state of affairs in areas. It is also good to note that the nature of the international civilian police work is very demanding, and a lot of energy is involved; therefore, fatigue and stress are likely to set in. In addition to fatigue, other contributing factors to stress may be traumatic events that the police experience while executing their duties.
Bibliography
Christopher Decker, D. “Enforcing Human Rights: The Role of the UN Civilian Police in Kosovo.” International Peacekeeping 13, no. 4 (2006), 502-516. doi:10.1080/13533310600988747.
Langille, Peter H. “Foreign Policy in Focus.” Inter-Hemispheric Resource Center Press. Last modified 2020, 1-5 https://www.proquest.com/docview/2404650882?accountid=8289&forcedol=true.
Prenzler, Tim. “Police Views on Processing Complaints against Police.” Civilian Oversight of Police, 2015, 95-118. doi:10.1201/b19040-8.
[1]. Christopher Decker, D. “Enforcing Human Rights: The Role of the UN Civilian Police in Kosovo.” International Peacekeeping 13, no. 4 (2006), 506
[2]. Christopher, 508
[3]. Langille, Peter H. “Foreign Policy in Focus.” Inter-Hemispheric Resource Center Press. Last modified 2020, 2
[4]. Langille, 3
[5]. Prenzler, Tim. “Police Views on Processing Complaints against Police.” Civilian Oversight of Police, 2015, 114
[6]. Christopher, 513
[7]. Prenzler 116
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