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Liberia

A Decade of Police Reform in Liberia: Perceptions, Challenges and Ways Ahead

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Franzisca Zanker
franzisca.zanker@giga-hamburg.de

Abstract:

The lack of trust in public services and security agents became starkly obvious when Liberia was severely hit by the Ebola virus last year. Now that the country has been declared Ebola- free and the UN peacekeeping force is set to continue its drawdown, it is time to take stock of the police reform after over a decade of external support. Drawing on over 80 interviews with various stakeholders and nine focus groups conducted in 2013/14, this brief outlines some of the major challenges and perceptions related to police reform.

Corruption and a fundamental lack of resources remain endemic. Innovative attempts at decentralizing policing through a pilot Justice and Security Hub continue to face numerous challenges. Motivation for police officers stationed outside the capital Monrovia is low. Perceptions of insecurity are prevalent. Moreover, a myriad of institutions created by numerous actors has serious repercussions for the effectiveness of the reforms. As Liberia’s security situation continues to remain “stable but fragile,” a number of recommendations are made in order to ensure the future of a reflexive and flexible police reform process. This includes better communication and transparency for improved relationships between security institutions and the population and institutional learning, better coordination between and amongst security actors and consolidation of the current police forces rather than further expansion