core sector communique

Liberia urgently needs police reform plan as withdrawal of UN peacekeeping forces approaches, says SFCG and SIPRI (Monrovia, 18 March 2011) The forthcoming withdrawal of the UN peacekeeping forces in Liberia could see a rise in instability in the country if the Liberian Government does not step in and take the lead in police reform, according to a new report by Search For Common Ground (SFCG) and Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) launched today in Monrovia, Liberia.

Reforming Liberia’s security sector has been a crucial challenge to meeting post-war security needs. Although the Liberian Government strongly supports security sector reform, the Liberian National Police have been dependent on the United Nations Mission in Liberia to bankroll and supervise its reform efforts as well as to provide necessary logistical capacity. The report, entitled ‘Security sector reform in Liberia: a case of the Liberian national police and its capacity to respond to internal threat’, critically examines the nature of and the gaps in the country's ongoing police reform. The authors provide concrete recommendations to address Liberia’s internal security threats as UN forces are scheduled to leave the country after the Presidential elections scheduled for this autumn. Meaningful police reform in Liberia urgently demands that a host of issues be addressed, among the most pressing are adequate budgets, competent leadership, effective recruitment strategies and greater accountability. The study is informed by a wide range of community perspectives, including the voices of youth, women and residents of the country side.