Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T16:14:26.475Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Police commissioners, presidents and the governance of security

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 July 2007

Alice Hills
Alice Hills*
Affiliation:
School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9RT, UK
*
Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Africa's police are usually assessed in terms of their adherence to democratic criteria. This results in inaccurate analysis because the police are actually governed according to presidential preference. This article uses the role of Africa's chief police officers to explore the relationship between presidents and their police, and the location of influence within the police. It identifies the significant variables shaping police governance in four countries with comparable institutional structures – Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe – and confirms the negligible role played by public accountability.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Modern African Studies , Volume 45 , Issue 3 , September 2007 , pp. 403 - 423
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Addo, P. 2002. Key Issues in Contemporary Ghanaian Policing: identifying reform priorities. Legon: ASDR.Google Scholar
Adetula, V. 2005. ‘Ethnicity and the dynamics of city politics: the case of Jos’, in Simone, Abdou Maliq & Abouhani, Abdelghani eds. Urban Africa: changing contours of survival in the city. London: Zed.Google Scholar
Aning, E. K. 2002. ‘An overview of the Ghana Police Service’, in Karikari, K. ed. The Face and Phases of the Ghana Police Service. Accra: GertMersh Publishing.Google Scholar
Atuguba, R. A. 2003. ‘Police oversight in Ghana’, unpublished paper presented at workshop on Security Sector Governance, Elmina, Ghana, 24–26 November.Google Scholar
Cawthra, G. & Luckham, R. eds. 2003. Governing Insecurity: democratic control of military and security establishments in transitional democracies. London: Zed.Google Scholar
Chabal, P. 1986. Political Domination in Africa: reflections on the limits of power. Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chihuri, A. 2003. Untitled presentation on ‘Police community relations in Zimbabwe’, International Police Executive Symposium, Bahrain: 1. Unpublished.Google Scholar
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI). 2006a. Reports on Policing in East Africa. <http://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/publications/nl/newsletter_summer_2006/article8.htm>>Google Scholar
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. 2006b. The Police, The People, The Politics: police accountability in Kenya. www.humanrightsinitiative.org/publications/police/kenya_country_report_2006.pdfGoogle Scholar
Commonwealth PoliceWatch. 2006. ‘Dismissing accountability: Nigerian government sacks Human Rights Head'. 7. <http://www.commonwealthpolicewatch.org/off_the_presses.htm>' href=https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Commonwealth+PoliceWatch.+2006.+‘Dismissing+accountability:+Nigerian+government+sacks+Human+Rights+Head'.+7.+>Google Scholar
Daloz, J.-P. 2003. ‘“Big Men” in sub-Saharan Africa: how elites accumulate positions and resources’, Comparative Sociology 2, 1: 271–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herbst, J. 2000. States and Power in Africa: comparative lessons in authority and control. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Hills, A. 2000. Policing Africa: internal security and the limits of liberalization. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.Google Scholar
Hills, A. forthcoming. ‘Kenya: service to all or selective service?’, in Newburn, T. & Hinton, M. eds. Policing Developing Democracies. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Hunt, R. & Magenau, J.. 1993. Power and the Police Chief: an institutional and organizational analysis. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Hutchful, E. & Fayemi, K.. 2005. ‘Security system reform in Africa’, in OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), Security System Reform and Governance. Paris: OECD: 71–90.Google Scholar
Institute of War & Peace Reporting (IWPR). 2005. ‘Demolishing “illegal” homes of Harare’. 4.4.2005. <http://iwpr.gn.apc.org/?s=f&o=239438&apc_state=heniacr2005>>Google Scholar
IWPR. 2006a. ‘Zimbabwe: is army taking over?. 31.5.2006. <http://www.iwpr.net/?p=acr&s=f&o=321300&apc_state=henfacr321302>>Google Scholar
IWPR. 2006b. ‘Mugabe moulds pliant judiciary’. 31.5.2006. <http://www.iwpr.net/?p=acr&s=f&o=321302&apc_state=henpacr>>Google Scholar
IWPR. 2006c. ‘Bills put Zimbabwe under “martial law”’. 5.9.2006. <http://www.iwpr.net/?p=acr&s=f&o=322583&apc_state=henpacr>>Google Scholar
Interview, 2005. Interview with analyst, Accra, July.Google Scholar
Luckham, R. 2003. ‘Democratic strategies for security in transition and conflict’, in Cawthra & Luckham, eds. Governing Insecurity, 3–28.Google Scholar
Nigeria Police. 2005. The Nigeria Police Annual Report 2005. Lagos.Google Scholar
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). 2005. Security System Reform and Governance. Paris: OECD.Google Scholar
Peake, G., Scheye, E. & Hills, A.. 2006. ‘Conclusion’, Civil Wars 8, 2, special edition: Managing Insecurity: field experiences of security sector reform, 249–50.Google Scholar
Personal communication. July 2005. UNODC official, Vienna.Google Scholar
Potholm, C. 1969. ‘The multiple roles of the police as seen in the African context’, Journal of Developing Areas 3: 139–58.Google Scholar
Reiner, R. 1992. Chief Constables. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar

Newspapers

Angola Press (Luanda). ‘SARPCCO chief satisfied with Zimbabwean police’. 8.12.2005. <http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?id=397570>

Awareness Times (Freetown). 2006. ‘Police IG assures of a level playing field in 2007’. 1.9.2006. <http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_20053468.shtml>

BBC News (London). 2002. ‘Nairobi slum life: into Kibera’. 4.10.2002. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2297237.stm>

Daily Champion (Lagos). 2006. ‘ Political assassinations – IGP indicts govs, SSS’. 7.9.2006. <http://allafrica.com/stories/200609070472.html>

Daily Graphic (Accra). 14.3.2005. <http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?id=7718>

Daily Trust (Abuja). 2006. ‘Assassinations: Senate shuns IG emissaries’. 25.8.2006. <http://allafrica.com/stories/200608250900.html>

Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra). 2006. ‘Police tasked to redeem image’. 9.11.2006. <http://www.ghanaian-chronicle.com/thestory.asp?id=11562>

Ghana Homepage. 2005. ‘Police command will insist on transfers’. 10.11.2005. <http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?id=94026>

Ghanaweb. 2005. ‘New IGP – Patrick Kwesi Kwateng Acheampong’. 4.3.2005. <http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?id=77977>

Herald (Harare). 2005. ‘ZRP's Professionalism pays off, says Chihuri’. 14.9.2005. <allafrica.com/legalaffairs/bydate/?n=18>

Independent Online (Harare). 2005. ‘Mugabe looks to family to tighten his grip’. 30.3.2005. <www.independentonline.com>

Kenya Times (Nairobi). 2006. ‘Ali shuffles 67 senior police officers’. 16.9.2006. <http://www.timesnews.co.ke/16sep06/nwsstory/news1.html>

Mail & Guardian Online (Johannesburg). 2006. ‘Zim's cash-strapped police face tough times’. 6.9.2006. <http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/articleid=283307>

Standard (Nairobi). 13.4.2005.) <http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=17838>

Sunday Monitor (Kampala). 2005. ‘Is Museveni deliberately militarising the police?’. 27.11-3.12.2005. http://www.monitor.co.ug/sunday/insights/ins11272.php.

Vanguard (Lagos). 2006. ‘The IG's partisan ways’. 25.8.2006. <http://allafrica.com/stories/200608250813.html>

Zimbabwean (Hythe, Hampshire, UK). 2006. ‘ZNA top brass slam “corrupt” ZRP’, 3.10.2006. <http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/viewinfo.cfm?id=2321>

Zimbabwejournalists.com (Burpham, Surrey, UK). (2006). ‘Feuding in Harare as CIO officers assault policemen’. 23.8.2006. <http://www.zimbabwejournalists.com/story.php?art_id=890&cat=2>

ZimDaily. 2005. ‘Police Chief campaigns for Zanu PF’. 22.11.2005. <http://zimdaily.com/news2/article.php/20051121070844297.html>

ZimOnline (Johannesburg). 2006a. ‘Harare halts probe against corrupt senior police officers’. 23.6.2006. <www.zimonline.co.za>

ZimOnline. 2006b. ‘Mugabe orders probe into police torture deaths’. 31.8.2006. <http://www.zimonline.co.za/headdetail.asp?id=12762>

ZWNews. 2005. ‘Priests told: don't aid “filth”’. 19.6.2005. <http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=12120>