Dialogue

CIVPOL – the civilian police

A: So, Commander Badulescu, what are the most difficult issues facing police officers on international Civilian police missions?

B: I think that intercultural communication is probably the most difficult issue that international Civilian police missions face. Many of my own officers have had to manage a situation where there their personnel come from different policing cultures and do not have the same ideas about what is good practice. There have been problems related to, for example, different attitudes toward the treatment of suspects and the use of force generally. Then there’s the issue of deciding which law CIVPOL should apply in exercising executive authority. When CIVPOL personnel arrive in a country there is often no operating criminal justice system. If the local system that usually decides how suspects should be arrested, processed, detained, and brought before a court is not functioning, which system do you see? The members of CIVPOL missions come from countries with very different legal systems, so it can be difficult for them to know best to operate.

A: And I would imagine that the monitors all come to a mission with different levels of English or French?

B: Yes, but language training is something we can easily provide. There are other non-linguistic communication skills which are more important to the success of any mission.

A: Could you tell us a bit more about these skills?

B: We have to teach our personnel not to stereotype. We need to help them realize how their own culture affects their attitudes towards, for example, authority, or the position of women in society or at work, or alcohol. They must be prepared for the fact that the culture of the country they are in is different: and they will have to accept these differences. Different doesn’t mean wrong. It sounds obvious, but people are not necessarily very aware about where their ideas and opinions about such things come from.

A: So what about culture shock? Does that happen?

B: Yes, it’s very common when personnel first arrive in a posting. Luckily, we have a lot of experience in dealing with it and we can teach strategies to enable people to overcome it. It usually helps when they begin to understand the effect that the way they speak and behave can have on their colleagues and the local population. Things such as tone of voice and body language – the movements of hands, etc. – whether or not you look someone in the eye when you are speaking to them, it can all be very different from culture to culture. There really is a lot to learn …

1. What kinds of problems can there be when law enforces from different countries and cultures have to work together? Make a list.

2. Act out a dialogue with a partner.

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International law

International law refers to laws that govern the conduct of independent nations in their relationships with each another. There are three distinct disciplines.

1. Public international law governs the relationship between international entities, be they groups or individuals. It includes international criminal law, international humanitarian law and maritime law (i.e. the law of the sea).

2. Private international law addresses the questions of under which jurisdiction a case may be heard.

3. Supranational law is a system in which member states pool their authority. The supranational body is able to enforce legal norms for and against member states and their citizens. An example of such a system is the European Union’s European Community Law.