HAITI APPROVES NEW PARLIAMENTARY POLICE UNIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT AU PRINCE 000841 STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR S/CRS SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD INR/IAA WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/16/2009 TAGS: KCRM PGOV PHUM HA SUBJECT: HAITI APPROVES NEW PARLIAMENTARY POLICE UNIT REF: 04 PORT AU PRINCE 00538 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On September 11, the Haitian Legislature approved a law which proposes to establish an additional security unit within the Haitian National Police (PNH). This initiative was not consulted with PNH leadership or MINUSTAH. At best, this is an effort to formalize existing police support to the legislature. But some fear it may be a means of creating a separate police force loyal to the Parliament. End Summary. Structure, Short and Sweet -------------- ¶2. (U) On September 11 the Haitian legislative body approved a law which creates a new police/security unit within PNH structure and is subject to PNH authority. Adding the "La Direction de la Police Parlementaire" (Parliamentary Police Unit, or ''PPU'') to PNH's five other subsections, the new law's brief text gave little information for interpretation. The new unit would be charged with the personal security of parliamentarians while in Haiti. Press reports provided no rationale for the change. ¶3. (U) Under the current law, parliamentarians each have two PNH officers assigned to their personal security details. In addition to these officially-assigned officers paid at state expense, many also employ additional armed bodyguards who are paid from their private funds and who are not vetted. Mysterious Passage -------------- ¶4. (C) The PNH Director General's Chief of Staff told PolCouns on September 11 that his office was unaware of the legislative body's intentions until after the law was enacted. ¶5. (C) On September 16, MINUSTAH representatives told Poloffs that they also did not have advance knowledge of the law and also did not know what, if anything, its passage implied. MINUSTAH Senior Political Affairs Officer Guido Gailli stated that the combination of a new Parliamentary Unit and a potential new armed force was something that peacekeeping leadership is concerned about. ¶6. (C) Asked if GoH's movement toward increased specialization and fragmentation of its police force added to a new armed force would not lead to the same institutional vulnerability to corruption that Haiti has suffered in the past, Gailli replied that the same issues are of the subject of debate and concern in their office. Comment: (C) Too little information regarding the new Parliamentary Police Unit is available at this time to make an informed assessment of the new law and its implications. It is possible that this was a purely administrative decision designed to better-manage responsibilities and assignments within the GoH and HNP, but lack of foreknowledge in the Director General's office and at MINUSTAH raises concerns. Still unknown is how the PPU officers would be hired and whether or not new officers would undergo objective vetting. It is equally possible that parliamentarians have created a patronage-linked backdoor into HNP ranks where individuals could conceivably be promoted by virtue of connections over competency and professionalism (ref A)...undermining efforts to professionalize the Haitian security forces. End Comment. LINDWALL