African perspectives on challenges of police command in peace support operations

The document examines the systemic marginalisation of police components within the African Union's (AU) security architecture, which is dominated by military perspectives. It identifies critical gaps in police-specific doctrine, training, and resourcing, while highlighting the operational difficulties of managing diverse police contingents in high-risk environments. The paper argues that for African-led PSOs to be effective, the AU must develop a distinct police identity, harmonise ranking systems, and reduce reliance on external donor funding.

• The police component is structurally and decisionally subordinate to the military within the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). The police were not integrated into APSA until 2008, and the word 'police' is entirely absent from the PSC Protocol, whereas military roles are fully articulated.
• African-led PSOs often deploy to high-risk or combat environments as 'first responders' before peace agreements are signed, yet they frequently lack fully resourced support systems and specific guidance on military-police coordination.
• Strategic command is hindered by slow decision-making processes and a lack of clear, credible, and achievable mandates. This was exemplified by the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS), which failed to fulfill its expanded mandate due to insufficient personnel and resource constraints.
• Operational police command faces substantial challenges due to a lack of management training for police commissioners and the heterogeneity of police contingents, which include varying national traditions and a mix of civilian and gendarmerie-type police.
• Tactical-level police operations are severely impacted by doctrinal gaps, a shortage of critical resources (such as vehicles and radios), and inadequate pre-deployment training regarding local culture and traditions.
• The African Standby Force (ASF) is unlikely to meet its 2015 full operational capacity (FOC) deadline due to disagreements over the definition of FOC, gaps in operational coordination, and the principle of state sovereignty hindering the delegation of authority.
• There is a critical dependency on external funding, with 97% of the African Union's programming support coming from external donors, which creates unpredictability and allows donors to influence priorities.
• Gender inequality persists within national police organisations, limiting the pool of experienced female officers for PSOs. When women are deployed, their roles are often restricted to gender-oriented tasks rather than overall policing responsibilities.
• Language barriers and a lack of uniform rank structures among police contributing countries (PCCs) impede effectiveness. Some PCCs use temporary rank inflation, which fails to mask gaps in actual skills and experience.

APA

Caparini, M., & Livingstone, A. (2014). African perspectives on challenges of police command in peace support operations. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper276.pdf

Chicago

Caparini, Marina, and Ann Livingstone. African perspectives on challenges of police command in peace support operations. Institute for Security Studies, 2014. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper276.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Caparini |first1=Marina |last2=Livingstone |first2=Ann |title=African perspectives on challenges of police command in peace support operations |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=November 2014 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper276.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{caparini2014african, author = {Caparini, Marina and Livingstone, Ann}, title = {{African perspectives on challenges of police command in peace support operations}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2014}, month = nov, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper276.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }