Haitian police still rely heavily on a 12,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping contingent to provide basic law and order
BOGOTA (TrustLaw) - Haiti's ill-equipped police are struggling to stem gang violence in quake-hit Port-au-Prince, where murders, kidnappings and robberies have risen by 15 percent over the past year, International Crisis Group (ICG) said.
In a report released this month, the thinktank said although Haiti had been spared the full-blown security crisis that many feared would emerge after last year's massive earthquake, there was a heightened risk that a cycle of crime, violence and instability would return to the Caribbean nation.
"The need for a cohesive criminal justice system that underpins the rule of law is paramount to end impunity driven by corruption, ineptitude and dysfunction," ICG said in the report. "Over the long run, this may be the greatest challenge for the Martelly government and donors," it added.
Haitian pop star turned president Michel Martelly, who took office four months ago, has promised to break with decades of corruption and misrule.
With the high hopes of a poor population desperate for a chance of a better life invested in him, the charismatic Martelly, who has no experience in government, is under pressure to deliver results fast.
POLICE FORCE NEEDS TO BE DOUBLED
ICG said Martelly needed to push through reforms to strengthen the police force and its resources, which were decimated following the January 2010 quake.
No new police officers graduated last year because the police training school was temporarily housing Haiti's parliament and only one class of 877 recruits has so far graduated this year. The police homicide investigation unit, for example, has only six officers to handle a monthly average of 20 cases, the report noted.
Haitian police still rely heavily on the 12,000-strong United Nations peacekeeping contingent, known as MINUSTAH, to provide basic law and order.
Analysts estimate that Haiti needs to double the size of its police force, to a total of around 20,000 police officers, to provide better security along its land and sea borders and improve safety among the country’s 10 million citizens.
"A strengthened and professional Haitian National Police is crucial to Haiti's recovery and development," said Bernice Robertson, senior Haiti analyst at ICG.
"The country's porous land and sea borders remain susceptible to drug trafficking, smuggling and other illegal activities that weaken the rule of law and deprive the state of vital revenue."
The thinktank also said the government should recruit more female officers to help deal with rising cases of sexual violence against women. Women officers only make up eight percent of the force.
Community policy was one of the weakest links of police reform, the report said. It urged the Haitian authorities to increase the number of police foot patrols, especially in the capital's slums where gangs and guns for hire hold sway.
ICG also called on Haiti's authorities to root out through an improved vetting process corrupt police officers and officers who use excessive force or are involved in criminal activity.
"CAN HAITI AFFORD TO HAVE AN ARMY?"
To combat crime, Martelly is considering forming a new Haitian army, after the old army was disbanded in 1994.
But analysts say that Haiti does not have the funds and/or resources to build a new armed force from scratch.
"President Martelly's interest in a second armed force has cast some doubt on his commitment to police reform. He should, however, give highest priority to completing the second phase of police reform before seriously exploring a second force," the report said.
"As a diplomat has put it, the proper question seems to be 'can Haiti afford to have an army?', not 'should Haiti have an army?'" the report added.
The increasingly urgent issue of bolstering and training Haiti's police force comes at a time when some Latin American contingents, including Brazil which heads the U.N. peacekeeping force, are planning to scale back their operations in Haiti.
(Editing by Katie Nguyen)
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