Policing Africa

I am particularly impressed by the article on policing (Pambazuka News 226).

States are bound by several human rights instruments to respect, ensure and guarantee human rights. States cannot meet these obligations without a police force that recognizes and respects human rights. The police as state actors are often the perpetrators of human rights violations firstly, in the maintanance of law and order and secondly in determining/facilitating acess to justice/redress once a violation has occurred. Thus they are crucial actors as far as state obligations in human rights are concerned.

It is thus incumbent on states eager to fulfil their obligations under human rights instruments to reform their police force by creating human rights awareness in police units and imputing individual criminal liability on police officers who perpetrate human rights violations.