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United Nations peacekeepers include civilian police. In the 1960s, civilian police were deployed in the UN Operation in the Congo, and for more than 25 years, they have been part of the UN Force in Cyprus. Beginning with the UN mission in Namibia in 1988, "CivPol" elements have become an increasingly important part of UN peacekeeping. By mid-2000, some 7,000 civilian police from more than 70 countries are participating in 10 UN missions. Some recently missions have been predominantly staffed by civilian police.
UN civilian police directing traffic in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, during a 1993 political rally. UN Photo
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In Haiti, CivPol helped to build a new Haitian National Police. In Croatia a UN Civilian Police Support Group was established to monitor the actions of Croatian police in Eastern Slavonia, and to encourage respect for the rights of residents and returnees alike. In Bosnia and Herzegovina more than 1,600 police officers from 42 countries serve with the United Nations International Police Task Force, which forms part of the United Nations Mission (UNMIBH) in that country. Their tasks include monitoring the performance of local police, conducting investigations, and providing guidance aimed at building a multi-ethnic police service respectful of the rights of all the country's people, regardless of ethnicity. In Kosovo, as many as 4,700 UN civilian police have been charged with maintaining civil law and order as well as developing a future police for the Territory.
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