CHRI and FNF Online Conference on Community Policing

CHRI and FNF Online Conference on Community Policing

http://policing.virtuelle-akademie.fnst.org

Democratic policing and what it precisely entails continues to remain a poorly understood concept in South Asia. Democratic policing is about much more than simply “maintaining law and order”. It is about the police establishing and nurturing a healthy relationship with the community, based on mutual respect and understanding. But in order to do this law enforcement agencies throughout South Asia need to change their mindset. The emphasis ought to be on providing a service as a means to uphold the law, rather than utilizing force to impose the law.

If done properly, community policing exemplifies the ideal manner in which to guarantee public safety: collaboration between the protectors (police) and the protected (community) to ensure law and order is maintained and that public safety is a priority. Moreover, where community policing has worked, it has proven to be an effective and efficient means to deliver services where resources are limited. This is especially relevant given the inadequate resources allocated to policing in South Asia. Thus, in order to move away from the colonial and feudal style of policing that predominates the region, community policing may provide a feasible solution.

As part of its continuing effort to strengthen the Network for Improved Policing in South Asia (NIPSA), the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) and the Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit (FNF) are hosting an online conference from July 5-10 entitled “Building Bridges: The Police and the Public – Experiments with Community Policing in South Asia”. The Conference will feature experts from the region and abroad, all providing their thoughts on this critically important aspect of genuine police reform.

The principal objective of NIPSA (www.nipsa.in) is to raise awareness on the need for better policing and to connect like-minded organisations and individuals so that they may collaboratively work on achieving more professionalized police services in South Asia. In its capacity as Secretariat of NIPSA, CHRI works with civil society organisations throughout the region to produce published materials and workshops relevant to policing.

The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (www.humanrightsinitiative.org) and the Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit (www.southasia.fnst.org) invite you to this online seminar from 5-10 July 2010. It will be held in English and it is free of charge. Please register here:

Further notices will be circulated that will provide greater detail on how to register and who the expert speakers will be for each module. We look forward to your participation!

http://policing.virtuelle-akademie.fnst.org

NOTE: Although registration is open, the online conference will only begin on July 5. Therefore, viewing conference material or posting any comments will not be possible until Monday, July 5.

July 5 & 6, 2010

What does “community policing” mean ? What is its relevance for South Asia ?

• Mr. Sanjay Patil, Consultant (CHRI and Moderator of Conference)
• Mr. Richard Miles, Senior Advisor (GTZ – Bangladesh)
• Ms. Katrin Bannach, Project Director (FNF – South Asia)

July 7 & 8, 2010

Experiments with Community Policing in South Asia

• Mr. Ahmed Chinoy, Chief (CPLC-Karachi – Pakistan)
• Mr. Kumar Koirala, Crime Prevention & Community Safety Specialist (Police Reform Programme – Bangladesh)
• Mr. Jacob Punnoose, Director General (Kerala Police – India)

July 9 & 10, 2010

International success story and possible lessons for South Asia

• Dr. Alok Mukherjee, Chair (Toronto Police Services Board – Canada)

July 10, 2010

Conclusion

• Mr. Sanjay Patil, Consultant (CHRI and Moderator of Conference)