Can Haiti's Police Reforms Be Sustained?

I. Introduction: The Haitian National Police

1. Organization of and international support for the new police force

When US troops returned President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to Haiti in 1994, ending the military regime that had deposed him three years earlier, the creation of a new police force was an immediate priority of both Haitian and international policy-makers. The HNP is the first civilian, professional police force in Haiti's 194-year history. Prior to 1995, the police had been an arm of Haiti's oppressive, violent military, and had engaged in widespread, systematic human rights abuses under the 1957-86 Duvalier dictatorships and the 1987-94 military governments, particularly during the 1991-94 coup years. President Aristide dismantled the military in 1995 and the Government of Haiti (GOH) immediately began recruitment for the new police, with broad assistance from the United States. Over 5,000 cadets were recruited and trained, and the first contingent was deployed in June 1995.⁽¹⁾

The ultimate authority for the direction of the HNP rests with a governmental council, the Superior Council of the National Police (CSPN). The police force itself is led by a director general, currently Pierre Denizé, who was appointed in March 1996. An inspector general, director of the Administrative Police (the main police corps, responsible for public security and crime prevention), and the director of the Judicial Police (an investigative unit for the judiciary) serve under him. Other specialized police units include the Palace and Presidential Guard, the Ministerial Security Corps, a crowd control unit (the Compagnie d'Intervention et Maintien d'Ordre, CIMO), and a SWAT team (the Groupe d'Intervention de la Police Nationale d'Haiti, GIPNH).

Each of Haiti's nine departments has a departmental director. Police chiefs (commissaires) head city police divisions and sergeants (inspecteurs) head the sub-precincts in smaller towns and the smallest police divisions in rural and urban sections.

The Office of the Inspector General (IG), established in June 1995, serves as the key internal accountability mechanism for human rights abuses. It can discipline or terminate police officers or turn them over to the courts for trial if accused of serious human rights abuses or criminal conduct. The office is also charged with assuring compliance with police regulations and evaluating the HNP's effectiveness. The current inspector general is Luc Eucher Joseph.

The international community has provided extensive resources and technical assistance to the HNP since its inception. United Nations Civilian Police (CivPol) have accompanied the HNP since their first deployment in June 1995. While international troops departed following the November 30, 1997 expiration of their mandate, a 280-strong UN civilian police mission (MIPONUH) has been authorized to remain in Haiti until November 30, 1998. The focus of the mission remains to accompany and provide technical assistance to the HNP, activities which permit significant monitoring, mentoring and training. CivPol technical advisors have also been stationed at police headquarters, with specialized units and with the inspector general's office.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has initiated a police technical assistance program that will include up to 50 police advisors who will provide specialized assistance, mostly to HNP headquarters and specialized units throughout 1998.

MICIVIH has monitored police abuse since the HNP's first deployment. It continues to monitor the HNP and work with the IG on human rights issues. The analysis of developing problems in the HNP based on this monitoring has helped to shape remedial training programs by all police donors. MICIVIH has printed and distributed disciplinary codes and conducted follow-up training on human rights and use of force in the field and at the police academy, as well as supporting the Cap Haïtien community policing program described below. MICIVIH also designed and implemented a training program in conflict resolution and mediation to support community policing principles. MICIVIH's mandate has been extended through 1998.

Finally, the United States and Canada have ongoing bilateral police assistance programs which will both continue for several more years. These programs are focused around building leadership and supporting the development of specialized units and capabilities, including handing over police academy training to Haitian trainers. 

2. Findings of the January 1997 report

In our January 1997 review of the HNP's first 18 months of operation, we found the HNP off to a troubling start: a young, inexperienced, ill-trained and poorly supervised group that had committed a large number of serious human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, excessive use of force (particularly with firearms) in routine patrols and crowd control, and the use of beatings and torture as interrogation techniques, and had developed an arrogant attitude toward the civilian population. Recognizing the very difficult political and economic conditions under which the force was deployed, we nevertheless expressed concern about a serious lack of administrative systems and managerial control, internal disciplinary measures, logistical and equipment shortages, and a failure to fill large numbers of supervisory posts.⁽²⁾

We concluded that the human rights problems were not the result of official government or HNP policies and we were encouraged by the commitment of the director general and inspector general to improve the performance of the force and weed out and punish abusive officers. We called for, among other measures, immediate efforts to improve police leadership and supervision, expand and deepen training, and to enhance the work of the inspector general in investigating, disciplining and recommending for prosecution police officers who engage in human rights abuses. We recommended that the police expand their community relations work and community policing projects, and urged the GOH to take emergency initiatives to improve the dysfunctional court system. We also underscored the importance of more active monitoring and mentoring by CivPol 

1. Police cadets received only four months' training. A generally accepted estimate of the time needed to adequately train a new class of cadets is one year to eighteen months.

2. In October 1996, the HNP was operating with only seven of nine departmental directors, and had filled only 50 of 133 commissaire posts and 85 of 600 inspecteur positions.

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