Joseph Kekula, former inspector-general of the Liberian National Police, talks about the police reforms in Liberia that the United Nations Police undertook under the 2003 Comprehensive Peace Agreement. He discusses the process of rank restructuring and its contribution in demilitarizing the police. He points out the role of the Change Management Committee that combined local and U.N. police in developing guidelines for recruitment, vetting and other procedures.  In their efforts to professionalize the police, Kekula describes the challenges they encountered, including inadequate human resource capacity, lack of operational equipment and materials, and poor public relations. As part of the solutions, he explains how Community Policing Forums changed the police’s image and boosted public confidence. He also discusses the government’s agreement to raise police salaries in a bid to increase manpower and the need for a population census to determine the number of police required in the country.

 

Case Study:  Building Civilian Police Capacity: Post-Conflict Liberia, 2003-2011