Proper construction of police stations to rigorous international standards requires specialist designers and project managers. UNOPS has these skills and experience in post-conflict, post-disaster or developing environments. UNOPS can offer individual police stations or as a component of a regional or country wide rule of law programme. Projects can also include a procurement component for the equipping and training of a police force.
A common error made in building or rehabilitating police stations is to copy aspects from complex facilities in donor countries. This can diminish overall performance of the facility and raise questions about over-expenditure from the local community and government. UNOPS implements simpler facilities that can be operated easily and safely, a can be adapted as local skills and requirements improve.
The UNOPS portfolio of police stations includes small police outposts in remote regions, city police stations, central headquarters, training facilities and police accommodation facilities. Some police stations require remand or detention facilities as part of the wider courts or judicial system and UNOPS can also provide this service to its partners.
UNOPS is currently involved in police station construction and refurbishment projects in:
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Thanks to the support of the Government of the Netherlands, UNOPS is a key partner in efforts underway to restore state authority in key areas of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo through the rehabilitation and construction of infrastructure and support to government services. These efforts are carried out within the framework of the Government’s Stabilization and Reconstruction Plan (STAREC) as well as the international community’s Security and Stabilization Support Strategy (ISSSS). In total, UNOPS is constructing 12 police stations and housing for police officers and their families to support the deployment of 550 police officers in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri territory of Province Orientale.
Each new facility will include a reception, a radio room, male and female cells, toilets, a meeting room and offices. Each station will also include an office specially designed to enable the Congolese police in handling sexual and gender- based violence cases with sensitivity and safeguard the privacy of victims. The work plans for the construction have been developed in collaboration with the national authorities and Stabilization partners and were officially approved by the National Police.
Guatemala
The Government of Guatemala requested UN assistance for the administration, management, and technical support of a national public infrastructure project in December 2005. The areas targeted by the Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing included the reconstruction effort in the aftermath of flooding caused by Hurricane Stan and the improvement of public order and security infrastructure. The initiative also sought to ensure the professional monitoring of public investments. The project is being implemented by UNOPS on behalf of UNDP.
The municipality of Villa Nueva is located 16 km south of Guatemala City and was identified as needing a new police station. The construction of the new station, called “Comisaría No.15 de la Policía Nacional Civil”, is being carried out by the State Building Construction Unit of the Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing. UNOPS administered bidding and contract awards, provided consultancy services for studies, planning, designs as well as the estimated construction costs and work schedule. The planning phase of the project was budgeted at $46,000 and construction costs are expected to be around $2.5 million over 14 months.
Haiti
In Haiti, a new headquarters building for the General Inspectorate of the Haitian National Police (HNP) is being constructed. The strengthening of the General Inspectorate of the HNP is part of the support provided by the UNDP. to the implementation of Police Reforms in particular and the strengthening of the Rule of Law in general. The project includes the construction of a new three storey building, the procurement of vehicles, the installation and configuration of specialized databases for financial and personnel management, as well as security systems. The project is also providing IT and communications equipment and involves the organization of an information campaign aimed at raising public awareness and improving public confidence in the police.
As the internal oversight body of the institution, the General Inspectorate is responsible for investigating public complaints of misconduct and human rights violations by members of the Haitian National Police. It is also responsible for assessing the efficiency with which the HNP carries out its mission by ensuring that it’s human, logistical and financial resources are properly managed.
The new complex that is designed to withstand hurricanes and earthquakes will accommodate between 100 and 120 employees. Initiated by the police component (UNPOL) of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and funded by the Government of Canada through the Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force, the project is managed by UNDP and implemented by UNOPS. The completed and fully equipped headquarter is expected to be handed over to the HNP in March 2010.
Liberia
In partnership with the Government of Liberia, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) selected UNOPS to implement the physical infrastructure component of the Rule of Law project for the country. In 2008, four police compounds were constructed on behalf of the Liberian National Police to serve the rural counties of Grand Bassa, Maryland, Grand Gedeh and Lofa. Each compound included an office building, a barracks and the installation of electrical, sewer and water supply lines.
The headquarters building of the Liberian National Police in the capital city of Monrovia is being rehabilitated by UNOPS with work including the repair of the roof and the provision of improved water, sanitation and electricity lines. The project is being funded by the Government of the United Kingdom through UNDP with a budget of $811, 421.This infrastructure has strengthened the rule of law throughout the country and has enabled the smooth return and reintegration of Liberians.
Occupied Palestinian territory
Improving the resources of the Palestinian Civil Police (PCP) is essential to maintaining public order and security within the Palestinian National Authority territory. UNOPS is assisting the implementation of support to the PCP coordinated by the European Union Police Coordination Office for Palestinian Police Support (EUPOL COPPS). The upgrade of the existing Police Training Facility in Jericho is part of this assistance. The facility is being refurbished and upgraded in order to expand the capacity from 150 officers and cadets to 620 personnel.
The upgrade project is funded by the European Commission as well as by the Governments of Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden. The project budget is $15 million and is being implemented by a full time UNOPS team of three international and nine local staff, all based in Jericho. The project will refurbish the four existing campus buildings and boundary fences, and provide new infrastructure for water, sewage, electricity and irrigation. New facilities being constructed include accommodation for both male and female cadets, training buildings such as an auditorium and class rooms, as well as a new podium, parade ground and a traffic training area.
The design has environmental benefits such as treatment of waste water on site to allow its re-use in washing facilities and for the irrigation of the newly landscaped areas. A procurement component providing vehicles and communications equipment to the PCP is also being supported by a number of EU member states and the Commission. The programme is being coordinated by EUPOL COPPS and implemented by UNOPS and will improve law enforcement throughout the West Bank .
Sudan
The infrastructure of the Police and Prisons Services in Southern Sudan is in dire need of rehabilitation as a result of years of civil war. With funding from the Multi Donor Trust Fund and the Government of Southern Sudan, through UNDP and the Support to Police and Prisons Services Project, UNOPS is currently involved in the implementation of a three year construction and rehabilitation program for the Police and Prisons Services in all ten states of Southern Sudan.
The infrastructure component of the project involves the construction and equipping of police headquarters, police training centers and police stations, as well as construction of a new modern prisons complex in Bor, Jonglei State, and rehabilitation and equipping of other central Prisons in five other state capitals. Many police and prisons facilities have already been completed while the remaining works will be completed within the scope of the 2009/2010 Work plan. In total, 25 police headquarters, training centers and police stations in ten states and prison facilities in six states will be completed within the time frame.