Welcome to EUPOL COPPS. A proven mission
(BRUSSELS2 to Ramallah) “ It is not an institution that is there to survive but to do the job. says a head of the European Police Mission in the Palestinian Territories (EUPOL COPPS). During his stay in Palestine, B2 was able to meet two members of EUPOL COPPS for a more informal discussion on the evolutions of the mission and the work in the West Bank. The meeting took place at the headquarters of the mission. The building, very secure, is located on one of the many hills of Ramallah and offers a breathtaking view of the surroundings.
A peaceful environment
What stands out in Palestine is the calm that reigns there, in total opposition to the preconceived ideas that one may have of the country. " There are no major worries about working in the West Bank. It's even rather vice versa," says a senior mission official. This peaceful situation is a good way to see the rendering and impact of the Palestinian police force ". " Life goes on in the West Bank. We are not immune to an exchange of fire, it is true. But it's not the Wild West or at least it's no longer the Wild West like in 2006 or 2007. Security has returned. “Precisely at this time,” there was a more tense situation and therefore more Palestinian police presence. We were more on the alert, increased vigilance, it was safety, security... The work was more difficult. We did not stay in the night districts. And we wouldn't have deployed people to 11 districts at the same time like we are doing now. "Another element, according to an official, " There has been no murder of an Israeli for 5 years in the West Bank ". Today, the mission is working and seems to have a real impact on the situation and on the ground. But this was not always the case.
The rise of Hamas to power...
« In 2007, the big spotlight was EUBAM Rafah (the other EU mission in the region in charge of borders) so we were on the sidelines. In July 2006, we were close to dying. The special representative told us, "it's not complicated kids. If you want the mission to continue to exist, you must justify your existence. So get moving" ". The mission began in 2006. However, tensions between Hamas and Fatah would reach their peak with the seizure of power by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
« We were in a blocked political framework with a non-engagement order at a higher level than the chief of police, so not with the Minister of the Interior and no major technical cooperation because it was forbidden to engage with Hamas.. " EUPOL COPPS therefore found itself " in the middle, with our mandate, our tools. We meet in the middle of the bazaar ". An unfavorable environment for a mission that had just begun.
"Double bites"
« The mandate was quite ambitious, it was necessary to redesign the Palestinian police. "To justify its existence, the mission conducted audits" one carried out by an investigating judge, on the criminal chain, one on the judicial police forces and one on the maintenance of order and it is on the basis of these three audits that we began to develop the activities”.
From the police to the rule of law
From 2008, it is the extension of the mission at the level of the rule of law, with the creation of a Rule of law section which " covers seven areas with one person per team, courts, prosecution, ministry of justice, counsel, human rights counsel, penitentiary and bills ". Concretely, this branch has accelerated the processing of cases. " Before, there were 30 cases in the morning which were not managed at noon so they accumulated ". It was necessary to strengthen the Ministry of Justice, the fight against counterfeits, a fight against corruption " with real success "...
Command rooms common to training
EUPOL Copps also helps with coordination with the establishment of " Joint Operation Centers, common command rooms for all the Palestinian security forces and which define who will intervene on what. It was very helpful. This avoids having 36 services arriving on the same call ».
Regarding the training branch of the police, “ We have gone from basic training and the necessary equipment, to now working more at a strategic level. ».
The last branch of the mission, which deals with programs, improves cooperation between the Member States on the spot but also between the working groups in the sector and translates the mandate into concrete actions. She also drives small programs, with a budget of 350 euros, therefore projects at 000 euros ».
A more global impact?
This peaceful situation is an element in favor of a solution to the problem between Israel and Palestine. " We cannot envisage any peace process or negotiations if there is not a stable security situation, so this is a good sign and it gives politicians room for negotiation. This also has an impact on life in the street because no one wants to relive the previous situations where there was shooting from everywhere, there were militias of all stripes circulating in any uniform. »
- Staff involved in their mission. A CSDP mission also involves men and women who work, often far from home. " Professionally it matters what you do, on a daily basis we see things progress. It allows us to evolve and have a passion. Regarding the lack of knowledge of opinions on the work of the missions, he relativizes, “ From the moment when the main recipients of aid are aware, that is to say the Palestinians, and the Brussels community is aware that it is working…”, that may be enough.
(Thomas LeBihan)
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