Abstract
This briefing provides an overview of recent research on International Police
Assistance. Firstly the relationship between policing and democracy is examined. While
international missions have been successful in supervising police agencies to support emerging
democracies, their power and influence means they can become an obstacle to police forces
responding to needs articulated by local citizens. Secondly, the wider political context is of major
importance, and so technical reforms without democratic state-building are of limited value. Finally,
where international deployment is appropriate, suitable pre-mission training on different
understandings of the police role, working across languages and cultural differences, is essential to
maximise effective and legitimate delivery of police assistance.
Assistance. Firstly the relationship between policing and democracy is examined. While
international missions have been successful in supervising police agencies to support emerging
democracies, their power and influence means they can become an obstacle to police forces
responding to needs articulated by local citizens. Secondly, the wider political context is of major
importance, and so technical reforms without democratic state-building are of limited value. Finally,
where international deployment is appropriate, suitable pre-mission training on different
understandings of the police role, working across languages and cultural differences, is essential to
maximise effective and legitimate delivery of police assistance.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Scottish Institute for Policing Research |
| Commissioning body | The Scottish Institute for Policing Research |
| Volume | 14 |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |