David Beer

Chief Superintendent, Director General of International Policing
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Focus Area(s)
Accountable Policing
Critical Tasks
External accountability
Recruitment
Interviewers
Arthur Boutellis
Country of Reform
Haiti
Liberia
Town/City
Ottawa
Country
Canada
Date of Interview
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Abstract

Chief Superintendent Dave Beer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police recounts his experiences in leading policing/justice development missions, particularly in Haiti, in the early 1990s and then about a decade later.  His length of service in the arena of international peacekeeping and the parameters under which he has served, both as a representative of the Canadian government during a bilateral mission and under the aegis of the United Nations during a multilateral mission through the Department of Peacekeeping Operation, carries with it a broad viewpoint as to the development of policing in Haiti. His experience in other states, particularly Iraq and Liberia, provides a comparative study of best practices. He particularly offers insight into pre-deployment training by the U.N. and the Canadian government and on-the-ground knowledge of local recruitment strategies and requirements.  The sentiments of this quote reverberate throughout the interview,  "It is an axiom, I think, of this world of international development that you have to find local solutions led by local individuals supported by the local government for it to be either a) instituted; b) successful; and c) sustainable. You’re not going to have any one of those three unless it’s a locally-created program."

Case Study:  Building an Inclusive, Responsive National Police Service: Gender-Sensitive Reform in Liberia, 2005-2011

Full Interview

37 MB
Dave Beer - Full Interview
Profile

At the time of this interview, Chief Superintendent Dave Beer was serving as the director general of international policing for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, a position that included peace-operations deployments, liaison with INTERPOL, and oversight of the international operations branch, the visits and travel branch, and the international affairs and policy branch.  Beer led or participated in policing development missions under the auspices of the Canadian International Development Agency, the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the U.S. State Department.  Although he spent the most time in Haiti, partially due to his being bilingual in French and English, he also served in Liberia, Central African Republic and Iraq.   

Keywords
recruitment
pre-deployment training
language
Donor Relations
depoliticization
demilitarization
vetting
UN Policies
Reform sequencing
Not specified