The incredible diversity of UNPOL is our greatest strength
By CoESPU Magazine
An interview with Luis Carrilho, United Nations Police Adviser.
What are the new challenges and the main security risks for UN Police in future multidimensional peace missions?
The United Nations Police recruit police men and women from about 90 different countries with different policing cultures, traditions and structures. This incredible diversity is our greatest strength, and it is what enables us to make a real impact in the communities we serve. Ensuring the safety and security of these personnel who deploy far from their homes to serve under the UN flag remains one of the greatest challenges. Our missions in the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mali are among the most dangerous because of the proliferation of armed groups and non-state actors, which are carrying out direct attacks on our peacekeepers. Having our personnel in harm’s way poses a significant security risk not only for our missions, but also for our host communities. Organized crime groups continue to fuel conflict and play a destabilizing role in a number of our mission settings. Additionally, in this increasingly digital age, our police officers are often deployed to remote areas with low technology, connectivity and bandwidth, while cybercrime may expose some vulnerabilities in our information and communications technology capabilities. Addressing these crime phenomena takes specialized skills and resources, and the UN Police continues to adapt and innovate in response to these challenges. Last year, the Secretary-General launched the Action for Peacekeeping initiative in partnership with stakeholders to strengthen peacekeeping and to meet these challenges, including to improve the safety and security of our peacekeepers. The UN is already working with Member States to enhance training, performance and accountability for uniformed police personnel and to source specialized police teams to fill critical and specialized capacity gaps in our missions, such as expertise on serious and organized crime, sexual and gender-based violence and forensics.
Do you have the feeling that the efficiency of the UN Police activity is leveling up?
Yes, for example, the UN introduced the Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System to establish greater interaction between the UN and Member States for ensuring readiness and the timely deployment of peacekeeping capabilities. Once a pledged unit is determined to be at the Rapid Deployment Level, it is ready for deployment to any UN field mission within 60 days of a formal invitation from the UN. We are also strengthening triangular cooperation with the African Union and European Union, as well as with other partner organizations, to draw on our comparative advantages and maximize efficiencies. In fact, we organized a training workshop with CoESPU earlier this month. And we are making progress developing guidance and training curricula in consultation with partner organizations and Member States to ensure interoperability in policing approaches and practices, especially during transitions and handovers. The UN Standing Police Capacity, our rapidly deployable operational asset is based in Brindisi, Italy, within reach of many of our missions. This enables us to provide expertise and capacity-building in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The UN Secretary-General has repeated his call for the UN Police to act as the service provider and focal point on policing matters, and I think this will make the provision of policing expertise and technical assistance more efficient across the entire system. The UN police are the only UN entity with the word “police” in its name, so we should be the entry point for all such matters.
Is the UN investing in new technologies to soften the use of force in modern peace missions?
UN Peacekeeping continues to seek and embrace innovative use of technology responsibly to enhance performance and its ability to fulfill mandates more effectively. This is in line with the Secretary-General’s Strategy on New Technology and initiatives taken by the Department, including the Report of the Expert Panel on Technology and Innovation in Peacekeeping. We are already expanding the development and use of drone technology to increase our peacekeeping capabilities. Unmanned aerial vehicles were successfully tested in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and have subsequently been deployed to other peacekeeping missions, including in the Central African Republic and in Mali. Information-gathering drones, along with aerostat images and live high-resolution video feeds, have enabled otherwise impossible surveillance capacities directed at armed groups in areas of rugged terrain and thick forestry, and have enhanced civilian protection as a result. Furthermore, the UN’s Situational Awareness technology platform is currently being piloted in the Central African Republic. Through data-mining software, web-based incident tracking systems and cutting-edge data visualization and analysis tools, this program strengthens our knowledge, understanding and anticipation of a situation or event to ensure more informed decision-making and efficient responses. In our police components, we are also working to deploy standardized tools for crime reporting and analysis to increase efficiency and compatibility. It all comes down to smarter policing.
In accordance with UN guidelines, a growing number of women has been deployed in peace missions. In which way is that an added value, in your opinion?
Having more women in peacekeeping increases the performance and effectiveness of our operations. This holds true for UN policing as well. Women enhance our ability to build confidence and trust among local communities in which we serve. We see this time and again. They act as mentors and role models, including to women and girls, and they build bridges with vulnerable populations. Often among host populations, whether because of religious or cultural factors or because of the nature of their conflict-related trauma, women are more comfortable reporting crimes and providing information to female police officers. We have now reached 14 percent female police officers deployed, which is at an all-time high! We have reached this milestone through advocacy with Member States, innovative campaigns and initiatives, including the establishment of a female officer talent pool to be able to quickly fill professional and leadership positions when they become available. We are on track to achieve the ambitious targets set forth in the uniformed gender parity strategy. We continue to engage with our police contributing countries, in line with the Action for Peacekeeping initiative, to increase the role of women in peacekeeping and to create an enabling environment for women personnel at both HQs and in the field.
Are Member States properly supporting the UN Policing, or do you expect more from them?
UN Peacekeeping continues to take steps and measures to improve its cost-effectiveness, performance, efficiency and impact. UN peacekeepers are the second-largest deployed force in the world — about 100,000 uniformed personnel — but cost just half of 1 percent of global military expenditures. Yet, the UN is consistently under pressure to cut peacekeeping budgets. I would like to see clear and achievable policing mandates that are properly resourced. We get great support from our Member States, but there is always a need for more female and French-speaking officers. I also hope that more Member States contribute police officers. Currently, the top 10 police contributors account for two-thirds of all UN police personnel. The Action for Peacekeeping initiative launched last year by the Secretary-General has, at its core, the notion of shared responsibility — for the UN Secretariat, legislatives bodies, police and financial contributors and host states. And I agree, we all have a stake in the success of UN peacekeeping.
You have a varied experience all over the world, for example in Central African Republic, in Haiti and in Timor-Leste, where you met different local populations. Could you draw a common line among them? Aims, worries, hopes?
Indeed, I served in each of those countries at different points of the conflict spectrum. Timor-Leste was a young state struggling during its transition to independence and concurrent political, humanitarian and security crises. I was the UN police commissioner in Haiti after the devastating earthquake in 2010, and in the Central African Republic at the start of the UN peacekeeping operation mandated to protect civilians after armed groups overthrew the president and carried out mass killings. A common thread is the resilience of the people that I witnessed every day. The people we were there to protect and serve had suffered tremendously at the whims of competing interests and circumstances far beyond their control, but they remained hopeful of light following the darkest days. Police are the most visible representatives of the state and are essential for reaching an end state of peacekeeping, for preventing conflict and sustaining peace. Our communities expect a lot from us, and we are always proud when we are able to deliver.
Do you think the “Cruz Report” had a real impact in the future of international peace activities?
Peacekeeping is risky business. In response to a growing number of casualties and attacks against our Peacekeepers, the Secretary-General appointed General Alberto dos Santos Cruz to lead a high-level review and submit recommendations to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries. This followed an Action Plan, developed by the UN Secretariat and the missions, outlining concrete actions to improve the security — and therefore also performance — of peacekeepers. UN Police, in this regard, has taken a number of important steps and measures in the areas of operational readiness, performance and accountability, addressing impunity, improving mindset, reviewing footprint, and identifying and resolving contingent-owned equipment (COE) shortfalls. Already we are seeing at the field level, contingency planning has been enhanced for Formed Police Units (FPU), with all deployments being undertaken based on operational needs and priority zones. Monthly evaluations of FPU are identified, reported and followed up with police-contributing countries. Therefore, remedial action, including repatriation, is initiated on contingents/units/officials with significant performance issues. The Comprehensive Performance and Accountability System (CPAS) enables us to assess the performance of civilian and uniformed components, staff and leadership through data collection and analysis. We are also strengthening the capacities of police-contributing countries through training and partnerships among Member States. The Cruz Report and other reports shined a light on very serious issues involving the safety and security of peacekeepers, so I believe it will impact how future activities are designed and implemented. Our overarching aim will always be to enhance the UN’s credibility in the countries where we serve and to make a positive impact on the lives of the people.
