Sierra Leone, 1998 - 2008
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Jonathan Friedman Innovations for Successful Societies ______________________________________________________________________________ BUILDING STRATEGIC CAPACITY IN THE POLICE: SIERRA LEONE, 1998 - 2008 SYNOPSIS Sierra Leone’s police service had a reputation for abuse and corruption even before the 1991-2002 civil war that slashed its numbers by a third and all but destroyed its infrastructure. Taking office in 1996, President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah set a high priority on police reform to ensure stability for postwar reconstruction and economic development. The United Kingdom, acting through the Commonwealth, was the primary benefactor, providing equipment, trainers and even an inspector general to lead the service during the first years of reform. By 2008, the Sierra Leone police featured strong and capable senior leadership, improved capacity for criminal investigations, and a positive relationship with the Sierra Leonean public. Although concerns about the sustainability of these reforms and the feasibility of additional changes remained in 2008, the development of the Sierra Leone Police during the preceding decade was an example of successful post-conflict police reform in a West African state. Jonathan Friedman wrote this policy note based on interviews by Arthur Boutellis in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in May 2008. Case published November 2011. INTRODUCTION deeply into police capacity. In its final report in 2004, the Sierra Leone An estimated 50,000 people died during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, an fighting, which displaced more than a quarter of investigative committee created to chronicle Sierra Leone’s prewar population of four million. human-rights abuses during the brutal civil war Nearly a third of the police service members were that officially ended two years earlier, described either killed during the war or left the service members of the country’s police service before the because of injuries and intolerable working fighting as “incompetent,” “corrupt” and “agents conditions. State control essentially collapsed of destabilization.” The condition of the service outside of Freetown, and government services and the conduct of individual police deteriorated were curtailed in the capital city. further during the conflict, as warring parties co- In 1996, newly elected President Ahmad opted members of the service to commit atrocities Tejan Kabbah took advantage of a lull in the against civilians, and thousands of casualties cut fighting to begin making substantive changes in 1 ISS is program of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs: successfulsocieties.princeton.edu. ISS invites readers to share feedback and information on how these cases are being used: [email protected]. © 2011, Trustees of Princeton University. This case study is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Jonathan Friedman Innovations for Successful Societies the police service as part of a broad reform of the and specially trained units headed off disorder and security sector. Because Sierra Leone lacked the rioting, sharply reducing violence at political resources to deal with the massive performance, rallies before the 2007 presidential election. capacity and credibility problems of the police service, Kabbah, who had worked for more than THE CHALLENGE two decades for the United Nations Development During the civil war, Sierra Leone’s Programme (UNDP), sought international government effectively collapsed outside the assistance. The United Kingdom, operating capital city of Freetown. With rebels controlling through the Commonwealth Community Safety much of the country, the security services were and Security Project (CCSSP), played a key role incapable of protecting civilians. Sierra Leone in the reform efforts by providing trainers and ranked last on the U.N.’s Human Development equipment. Index for several years running. With the Commonwealth’s support and The war crippled the police service. The approval, Kabbah in 1997 appointed Keith Biddle, prewar force of 9,317 was reduced to 6,600 by an English career detective with significant 1998, as nearly 900 members were killed and international experience, to lead the Sierra Leone others left the service because of injuries and poor police as inspector general. Biddle had served the working conditions. The remaining service was Commonwealth since 1994 in South Africa, too small to provide security in a country the size advising the police on election security. He had of Sierra Leone, even in the absence of other stayed on in South Africa after the elections to challenges. Many remaining service members assist in other police efforts. were unqualified and undertrained. An estimated Although renewed violence following a 1997 40% could not read or write, and members of the coup d’état derailed attempts at reform, efforts Operational Support Division, the armed section resumed in earnest a year later, when Kabbah was of the police, were trained in little more than how restored to power in a military intervention led by to operate their weapons. Low wages, coupled countries in the region. New hopes arose for the with a lack of benefits such as health care and end of hostilities as a robust U.N. force prepared pensions, fostered corruption among the lower to replace overwhelmed peacekeepers from the ranks. Economic Community of West African States Other challenges became apparent as the Monitoring Group (ECOMOG). fighting wound down. Thousands of unemployed Despite violence that continued through former rebels posed a significant security risk, and 2001, the Sierra Leone police achieved significant police buildings, equipment and files were in improvements in strategic management and basic disarray or destroyed. In 1998, the entire police law-enforcement capacity between 1998 and service had fewer than 10 vehicles at its disposal. 2008. Family Support Units, an indigenous In addition to logistical constraints, the innovation that involved separate bureaus and Sierra Leone police had a poor reputation with police who were specially trained to deal with the public. Because service members supplied gender crimes, garnered international recognition their own uniforms, which rarely matched, their and became a model for other countries. A shift appearance alone signaled to the citizenry that this to a community-oriented focus led to the creation was an undisciplined and haphazard organization. of Local Policing Partnership Boards, forums in Police conduct during the war—especially in which police and local leaders discussed common 1997-98, when many members of the police were needs and how to respond to them. A police co-opted by the rebel force that briefly overthrew complaints division helped build public respect, Kabbah—deepened the public’s distrust of the 2 © 2011, Trustees of Princeton University Terms of use and citation format appear at the end of this document and at successfulsocieties.princeton.edu/about/terms-conditions. Jonathan Friedman Innovations for Successful Societies service. Lawrence Bassie, chief of staff of the fighting, part of the National Security Council, or Office of National Security, said, “There was war cabinet. About a third of the police force was some amount of moral decadence when it came to actually fighting, almost as infantry.” that aspect, that is just for the police. There were Biddle accepted the challenge only after he flagrant human rights abuses, prolonged received assurance from Clare Short, head of incarceration of individuals without actually going Britain’s Department for International through the proper process—that is the judicial Development (DFID), that her agency would process—high-handedness of the police such that, provide long-term political and financial support. in fact, public perception was more or less eroded DFID became the primary benefactor during the completely.” reform period, with smaller financial contributions Police reform was an urgent priority. Any from the U.N. Mission in Sierra Leone and the effort would require significantly upgrading Sierra Leone government. equipment, building police stations, hiring Sheka Mansaray, former national security thousands of recruits and training them in basic adviser, explained the thinking behind the choice police work as well as in human rights issues and of Biddle. “There was a public demand for specialized functions. complete restructuring of the police force—in fact, all the security forces,” Mansaray said. “The FRAMING A RESPONSE public wanted us to clean them out. One of the Facing severe resource constraints and a lack ways to reestablish confidence with the local of public trust in the police, Kabbah sought help constituency, with the people, was to get from the Commonwealth in 1996. Two key somebody neutral, because nobody in the system decisions set the course for rebuilding the service. could command the kind of respect and trust that First, Kabbah chose to maintain and reform the the public was looking for.” service rather than disband it and start over, At the urging of the Commonwealth, Biddle figuring that Sierra Leone’s deep divisions received greater authority than previous inspectors required a continuous police presence even if it general because of the politicization of the police was imperfect. Second, in 1997, he appointed during the war. While the police still nominally Keith Biddle as inspector general (IG) of the functioned under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, police, arguing