International Civilian Police Risks

International Civilian Police Risks
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International Civilian Police Risks
Internal feuds in different nations that lead to problems such as displacement of legitimate citizens, genocides, failure of governments, and a lack of law and order left allies around the world who treasure peace with no other option but to come up with a policing unit that operates internationally. The United Nations International Civilian Police (CIVPOL) was established to help maintain internal order in countries experiencing civil unrest (Willmot et al., 2015). The unit is constituted by forces from member states of the United Nations (UN) and is responsible for peacekeeping and peacebuilding in jurisdictions around the world. The security system has worked quite well in many countries, with the CIVPOL taking part in various missions in different countries, taking roles such as training, advising, mentoring, monitoring, and even security intervention where necessary. Unfortunately, the unit has faced numerous challenges over the past despite tremendous improvements. Other than the inconsistencies arising due to the collaboration with military forces, the international civilian police are often faced with security, safety, and health risks, necessitating the development effective strategy to address them.
The UN has an organizational mandate of ensuring the security of personnel on foreign missions, including the civilian police. The body is also responsible for formulating the strategies, studying the evolution of peace operations, and even constituting the peacekeepers (Willmot et al., 2015). It is unfortunate that much of the attention on security has been emphasized on bureaucrats and the diplomats while deploying the security personnel in volatile environments. The peacekeepers are often in confrontation with hostile local rebels in an environment they are unfamiliar with, risking being abducted, ambushed, and blown by landmines. Also, the CIVPOL are often lightly armed and frequently come across open fights against adversaries with heavy weapons. The mandate to protect civilians compromises their security and safety even further, especially where the perpetrators' camouflage with the civilians.
Health hazards and natural disasters pose a great risk to international civilian police deployed in vulnerable areas. Apart from the injuries sustained in the fights that sometimes lead to death, there are other health hazards such as epidemics and contagious diseases that may befall them. The international civilian police are also affected by occupational health hazards, given that they are expected to coexist with the police services of the host nations. Most countries, especially in Africa where the CIVPOL are more likely to be deployed, are identified to have poorly implemented occupational health and safety (OSH) programs for the police, increasing their health risks (Mona et al., 2019). Stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common among the CIVPOL due to extensive exposure to unpleasant environments and the general experience of engaging in co...