About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

7 Ind. J. Const. Design 1 (2020)

handle is hein.journals/indjcstd7 and id is 1 raw text is: 





Policing  in a Democratic   Constitution


                                      MICHAEL   WASCO

                                      I. INTRODUCTION

       Most  constitutions contain provisions relating to or impacting policing. Separate from the
armed  forces and intelligence services, the police are the state's internal security apparatus, and
codifying issues related to policing within a constitution can ensure efficient service delivery and
human  rights protections.

       Originating from the Libyan constitution making process, this paper provides a taxonomy
of options for constitution drafters and scholars. More so than other issues, such as separation of
powers  or human  rights protections generally, policing sections are very country specific. While
not advocating for specific best practices, the work gives ample justifications for certain policing
principles and concepts, particularly regarding due process and gender matters. In any case, local
constitution drafters will need to consider a wide breadth of options for what to include on policing
and what to leave to legislative bodies.

       The  constitutions in some countries, such as South Africa, Brazil, the Dominican Republic,
Fiji, Kenya, and Nigeria, contain significant detail regarding the policing principles, mandates, and
governance.  In many  other states, the constitution contains very limited detail and defers to
national legislation for police formation and oversight. Many factors contribute to these variations,
including the security status of the country, the context of the democratic transition, and the chosen
overall government structure.

       Generally, modern  constitutional representative democracies require police to serve and
protect civilians. The current social movements in the United States addressing mistreatment of
people of color and militarization of the police highlight the challenges of managing and training
police. Constitution drafters must grapple with complex issues like the potential for misuse of
force, the politicization of police, and the relationship between the police and the military. These
themes are borne out around the world with constitutional language options as diverse as the States
themselves.

A. Scope and Content

       This paper analyzes how  constitutional provisions may define, govern, or impact police
forces. After defining the issue in section two, section three addresses the overall mandate of a
nation's police. To which general principles is it beholden? Section four discusses the governance
of the police. How do the police function? What is its relationship to other institutions and security
sectors? Section five is a deeper analysis of policing in federal and decentralized states. Section
six addresses  due process  and human   rights options. Section seven  offers some  additional
constitutional design choices, including gender considerations, integration of the militias, and
emergency  powers. Section eight gives some final contextual considerations. And finally, section
nine offers a table of examples summarizing missions and mandate structures for several countries.


1

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

profiles profiles most