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Launch of International Report on Policing and Human Rights

20 October 2005

Maja Daruwala, Executive Director of CHRI

The police force must respect the rule of law and serve the people rather than the regime in power, said Sam Okudzeto, Chair of the International Advisory Committee of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI). He stated that policing and security issues pose some of the most significant human rights challenges in the Commonwealth. Mr Okudzeto stressed this at the launch of a CHRI 2005 report in Accra, Ghana, on 13 October 2005. The report, titled 'Police Accountability: Too Important to Neglect, Too Urgent to Delay', promotes the principles of good policing in the Commonwealth and offers practical advice on effective delivery of the law.

Mr Okudzeto said the conduct of the police is a barometer of the state of governance. The distinguishing factor between good and bad policing is the commitment to protect the civil and political freedoms of individuals, while helping to create an environment that will maximise the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights.

"A truly legitimate and effective police force must be committed to the guaranteeing of basic physical security without violating the rights of citizens. Yet in many Commonwealth countries, most citizens perceive the police as violators of the law. Experiences of citizens all across the Commonwealth have shown that the police often commit serious human rights violations in different ways -- from practising discrimination to dereliction of duty and inflicting excessive use of force. The price that democracies pay for an unreformed, unaccountable police is high. Overall human and national security is compromised in a global environment often prone to terror," stated Mr Okudzeto.

Maja Daruwala, Executive Director of CHRI, said the organisation aims to bring about change that will affect the way institutions function by focusing on the practical aspects and realisation of human rights within countries "so that the words of international covenants translate into something real in people's lives".

Besides promoting good policing, Ms Daruwala pointed out that the CHRI has been active in promoting access to information. She said collective advocacy efforts have paid off in India where the Government has just passed a law faciliating access to information.

"We have also worked in promoting access to justice. This allows us to look at the institutions that deliver justice such the judiciary, prisons, police and the various legal aid and prosecution services," explained Ms Daruwala.

Betty Mould-Iddrisu, Director of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat, who launched the CHRI report together with Mr Okudzeto, said the report reflected Commonwealth best practices in promoting good policing. She noted that the police, who were the enforcers of law and order in society, were often ill-equipped in logistics and lacked human resource capacity to effectively implement the law. The report is therefore timely for use as training material for the police force to improve their capacity, effectiveness and accountability.

CNIS - Commonwealth News and Information Service Issue 257, 19 October 2005