European commission terms of reference
Current situation in the sector
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1.4. Current situation in the sectorDespite having a relatively developed security sector in terms of legal framework and institutions, established chain of command, and subordination to civilian government, Lebanon has not yet overcome the legacy of the civil war ended in 1990, and of the subsequent fifteen years of Syrian control. Therefore, the sector continues to suffer weaknesses due to the pull of political, sectarian, and regional loyalties, which together undermine the formulation of policies, and erode operational command. These factors challenge the State's role as the main provider of human security. Regardless the efforts of government and international donors to build up the security sector, this is still suffering from a lack of human resources, equipment and overall capacity. It therefore requires training and materials for effectively maintaining public order, investigating and prosecuting crimes, and fighting terrorism. In terms of criminal investigation, the capacity of the security services to lead post-crime operations (with particular reference to the protection and management / exploitation of the crime scene) has been for a long time largely insufficient, a problem coupled with the severe weakness of computerized systems for processing the information. The capacity to counter terrorism has increased but is still challenged by the weak coordination between different security institutions due to the absence of joint training and of modern and updated technologies together with the expertise to use them effectively. The Internal Security Forces (ISF) are at the core of what should be the internal security system and a civilian police force. They play a key mission in law enforcement, judicial police tasks and criminal investigation, and more in general in the fight against crime. For these reasons, the EU was asked (and undertook) to provide assistance in strengthening ISF capacity starting from 2007. Nonetheless, the ISF continue to face challenges in terms of organisation, resources, and procedures. Some progress was made in isolated fields, such as for example in intelligence and intervention skills, in investigation and in the management of public order situations (area supported under EU projects). Political tensions and overlapping mandates with other security and military institutions still prevent, however, the ISF to lead the work even in such areas. Overall, it is commonly assessed even by the ISF itself that the institution is still in need of modernisation and advanced assistance across the whole spectrum, including in terms of organisational management methods, automation of procedures, streamlining and professionalization of recruitment and training methods, adoption of modern operational methods, and, most of all, formulation and implementation of a multi-annual strategy for development and innovation. The political instability that has marred the Lebanese scene in recent years has not provided a favourable environment for the institution to tackle any of these issues. All this reinforces amongst the Lebanese population a significant mistrust and negative perceptions of some security agencies, which increase a general lack of respect for the rule of law, absence of civic sense, but also a general lack of understanding of their mandate to enforce the rule of law. In this sense, the ISF leadership has indicated confidence-building measures as a priority to promote the change from a police “force” to a police “service”. The latest terrorist attacks in Beirut and Paris and the case of emergency and fears that covered the entire world came to highlight the need of cooperation between countries to fight terrorism at its origin and intercept terrorists before crossing national borders. In this regard, supporting and increasing ISF capability is a must to prevent terrorists from infiltrating to Lebanon, and from Lebanon to European countries. Download 67.98 Kb. Share with your friends:
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