Strategic Considerations Relating to DDR
to the consequences of ungoverned areas. An ethical, effective
community police has a better chance to mature if the local
authorities select the recruits directly from the community since
the policemen and their families have established roots and are
committed to the preservation of the society. It becomes the
local community’s responsibility to provide the salary and other
compensations (lodging and meals) for their policemen, thereby
relieving the fledgling central government of a particularly
onerous burden. It is the community policeman’s relationship
with the local populace which sets the conditions for harmony,
dispute management, and early detection of trouble in the area.
Conceptually, DDR facilitators can establish regional training
centers for basic (two weeks), intermediate (six weeks), and
advanced training (six months). By this approach, community
police become over time a professional force with training and
experience.
In comparison, national police should be relatively small and
confined to the capital and other major cities. National police
are an instrument of the central government and hence have
the potential to oppress. Authoritarian regimes are called police
states for a reason. Because of its manageable size, national police can receive a greater degree of professional training, equipment, and leadership commensurate to its intended capabilities.
Over time, local police can receive this training, making all
police professional forces.
As an aside, DDR is not about disarming the populace. In fact,
trying to do so can lead to calamity. Philosophically, the inalienable right of self-protection should not be abridged by government. As a pract