SECURITY SECTOR REFORM POLICY AND GOVERNANCE: MIXING INNOVATION WITH A RETURN TO BASICS

Paul Collins

University of Birmingham and Public Administration and Development Journal

www.pauldcollins.co.uk

Keywords: policing, administrative reform, development policy, public services, governance

I. Background 

Security of life and property is one of the basic functions of the state.

The reality of this however can no longer be taken for granted, o in the wake of failed and failing states at the one

extremeo and the link between security and development in the

NICS, MICS and BRICS at the other end of the spectrum.

Now nearly all countries alike, for a variety of reasons, face common internal and external threats.

These include unprecedented cross border threats to securityo for example, people, drugs and arms trafficking,

money laundering connected with corruption, cybercrime etc.

Internally, in countries affected by terrorism, ethnic unrest, unemployment, pressure on and breakdown in services and natural disasters,o enhanced capabilities and capacities are required

on the part of police and related security services. Police also often play a role in relation to the work of

anti-corruption agencies. 

II. A range of police & related service performances are therefore a key shared element in public administration reform policy.  

They raise a number of issues.

First, there is the role of the third sector and co-production in service provision o through the increasing role of private security

companieso China now spends a vast budget proportion on security

and o South Africa resorts to private provision both

domestically as well as for export.

Second, there is the role of the community,o engaging with citizens, community ando “street level” behaviour.

  Third, there are the internal organisational reforms being

pursued or needed of policing services in their relation with overall government structures.

  Fourth, from a governance point of view, in some countries

(USA and UK), the media has played a key role in drawing attention to the worst of police performances.

The search for innovation has been largely technical:

o less attention has been paid to governance aspects

o and to the underlying historical models of policing and the need to revisit basic principles.

 III. As many policing websites across the world recognize, the nine Principles of Sir Robert Peel still provide the basic foundation.

 o They have continued relevance to policing

today’s world.

o Sir Robert Peel (1788-1850) was “The Founder of Modern Policing”.

These principles can be distilled into 3 areas in governance and public administration reform terms.

First, there is the role of trust - public respect, approval and cooperation.

  Second, there are the public services values such as

impartiality o and recognition that police are members of the

public o who are paid to serve both efficiently as well as in

the interests of the whole of the community.

Third there is the notion that physical violence is a last resort and punishment lies within the province of the courts.

 IV. The paper will explore the lessons of various country experiences (see annex) in these regards,

 o especially how police services can better respond to

the governance of risks - internal and external - in the face of common threats.

o How can the pursuit of various strategies and instruments available be enriched by a return to some of the founding principles of modern democratic policing?

 

IV. REFERENCES

Reith, Charles (1956). A New Study of Police History. London: Oliver and Boyd.

David Bayley, Changing the Guard, NY: Oxford UP, 2006

Marenin, O (1998), “The Goal of Democracy in International Police Assistance Programs”, Policing. An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, 21, 2, 159-177

Ball, N and Fayemi, K (eds) (2004). Security Sector Governance in Africa: A Handbook. Centre for Development and Democracy, Lagos.

Marenin, O (2014). “Styles of Polic and Ecoomic Development in African States”, Public Administration and Development, August.

ANNEX: Lessons of various country experiences

1.BRAZIL: Local/urban policing

* Mixed results –security policies implemented since 2008: urban crime/trafficking continues* UPP case: aim of establishing policing to recover lostterritories* Linking of partnerships and participation

2.HONG KONG: Police performances

Highly professionalised and non- corrupt legacybut increasing pressures to handle street protests

3.KENYA: Traffic police – corruption and compliance Reform management and reporting of police

misconduct Weakness of institutional structures and anti-

corruption approaches

4.TAIWAN AND MALAYSIA: Governance and drugs control policies Fragmented authority amongst potentially

collaborative agencies Challenges of improved collaboration and

management vertically and horizontally

5.AUSTRALIA: Complaints and frontline policing Police officers contradictory and paradoxical

experiences of the complaints system and potential harm to police

Alternatives and changes via enhanced conflict resolution and greater community involvement

6.NEW YORK AND TAIPEI CITIES: Accountability and performance Importance of context as conditioning link Controversies of “stop and frisk” approach

7.INDONESIA: Police and Anti-Corruption Commission relations ACC – police conflicts (with Attorney General on side-

lines) Challenge of institutionalisation of relations amongst

3 bodies under ACC coordination and supervision

8.CHINA: Public trust and police protest policing How far has the strategy of protest policing been

transformed Changing the role of police – towards a model from

crowd control to: …… police as a body more to meet citizens’ rights to

protection and a balancing of their conflicting roles

9.SOUTH KOREA: Maritime police reform after ferry disaster

blame avoidance game: renaming and relocating nature causes and consequences

Lessons on how to reform police in terms of complex forms of political interactions amongst multiple stakeholders in times of crisis

10.INDIA: Paradigm shift and Indian police reform/innovation

success of diffusion of innovation in policing is largely determined by leadership style and structured ‘reforms from the bottom up’.

result of lack of political commitment which in turn forced the police management to initiate innovations at ground level.

reforms from bottom up will get positive results but, to acquire sustainability, reformist should endeavor to preserve the managerial philosophy of trust before initiating the innovation

11.TANZANIA: COMMUNITY POLICING IMPLEMENTATION: dominance of top-down legacy resource, knowledge and trust

constraints at local level requiring more state investment

12.USA AND INTERNATIONAL POLICE TRAINING: vacuums of capacity role or private security companies in

BiH & Middle East in police training

EMERGING PATTERNS

1. Latin America: some mixed results – Brazil (Rio) : crime unabated and police struggle to

regain territory by way of participation and partnerships

2. Asia: challenges, old and new: Hong Kong: increased pressures of street

demonstrations China: changing roles and need for meeting citizens

needs Indonesia: fragmented authority and weak

collaboration

3. OECD Asia: contradictions and complexities:• Australia: paradox of police complaints and need for

police protection also• South Korea: blame avoidance and multiple

stakeholders in crisis

4. Asian Brics and NICS: accountability, context and performance – India: bottom up approach gets better results but

trust and leadership needed for sustainability Taiwan: importance of context and collaboration and

the challenges

5. Africa: capacity deficits and resort to informal solutions Kenya: reporting of police conduct to weak

institutional structures Tanzania: knowledge and trust constraints at local

level and top down legacy.

6. USA: odd man out- Role of private security companies in international

police training Legal (and mob) challenges to frisking (and worse) vis

a vis non- white citizens.