Training (public security)

Good Practices

Conduct a risk analysis that includes an assessment of the capacities of public security forces. Although not always feasible, this practice should be promoted whenever possible, since it is key to designing an adequate training programme.

• Assess knowledge, fitness and aptitudes of public security forces.
• Identify capacity gaps through an aptitude test, if permitted to do so. This test can also be used as a baseline survey that will serve as a reference to measure progress made after the training.
• Establish a monitoring mechanism to ensure professionalism and quality of services provided is maintained as public security forces are rotated in and out.

Seek to ensure that the host government understands and covers training needs.

• In meetings with host government stakeholders, emphasise the need to enhance the quality of training for public security forces to improve respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. Expectations related to provisions in the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights should be clearly explained, especially in instances where the State is a member of the Voluntary Principles Initiative. These meetings should explicitly cover host government obligations relating to human rights, international humanitarian law and other standards, with particular emphasis on how these relate to public security.
• Engage with the host government substantively on content of training.
• Modules should include topics such as:
  • Relevant legal frameworks, including international human rights law, domestic law and international standards for policing.
  • Ethics, responsibilities, tasks and powers for public security assigned to extractive sites, as well as how these differ from typical law enforcement assignments.
  • Principles governing the use of force, graduated responses, crowd control and rules on the use and storage of small arms and light weapons and less lethal weapons.
  • Company coordination with public security on topics such as maintenance and restoration of rule of law, as well as community policing.
  • Expectations towards different stakeholders, such as artisanal and small-scale miners [BURDZY1] who may be working on or next to company operations.
  • Rules governing arrest, detention, search and seizure.
  • Accountability and responses to serious abuses (see Low levels of awareness and understanding of security and human rights issues by public security forces: getting involved in the training of forces assigned to the company’s area of operations within Training – Working with Public Security Forces).
• Training should also be adapted to the specific operational context.
• Seek support from influential stakeholders (e.g. national political or social leaders, home governments, civil society, international organisations) to ensure the host government assumes its responsibilities regarding the training of public security forces assigned to the company’s areas of operations. In-country working groups on business, security and human rights can provide valuable forums to engage with host governments on training gaps, processes and sustainability measures.

Support national training programmes.

• Engage with the relevant ministry (e.g. ministry of interior or ministry of defence) to identify how the company can contribute to improving training on human rights and international humanitarian law for public security forces. For instance, the company can provide budgetary or logistical support to existing national training programmes.
• Support sustainable approaches to national training programmes. Focus on train-the-trainer approaches and identify ways to embed good practices in the curricula of public security training institutions.

Map existing training programmes and partner with other stakeholders.

• Identify existing training programmes on human rights and international humanitarian law developed by the United Nations, donors, civil society and other institutions.
• Support efforts to improve human rights and international humanitarian law training programmes at the national and/or local levels.
• In situations of armed conflict, liaise with the International Committee of the Red Cross or another recognised provider with local knowledge and experience. Check whether they would be able to provide international humanitarian law training to public security forces in the company’s area of operations. If feasible, engage with relevant national and local authorities to ensure that all public security forces in the company’s area of operations receive training from the International Committee of the Red Cross or another recognised provider.
• Seek ways to develop linkages to security sector reform assistance programmes offering training to public security forces.

If the company feels compelled to provide training directly to public security forces, consider the good practices inside Low levels of awareness and understanding of security and human rights issues by public security forces: getting involved in the training of forces assigned to the company’s area of operations within Training – Working with Public Security Forces).

Practical Tools

• Training Curriculum on General Standards for Policing (Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance International Committee of the Red Cross 2018)
• Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights Training Course (Voluntary Principles Initiative 2018): includes modules on human rights, roles and responsibilities of security personnel, and use of force 

Good Practices

Conduct a risk analysis that includes an assessment of the capabilities of public security forces. Although not always feasible, this practice should be promoted whenever possible, since it is key to the design of an adequate training programme.

• Assess knowledge, fitness and aptitudes to work on public security.
• Identify capacity gaps through an aptitude test, if permitted to do so. This test can also be used as a baseline survey that will serve as a reference to measure progress made after the training.
• Establish a monitoring mechanism to ensure quality and professionality are maintained as public security forces are rotated in and out.

Consider alternatives to providing training directly to public security forces

(see Inadequate preparedness of public security forces: establishing a path to progress on human rights and minimal use of force within Training – Working with Public Security Forces).

If the company feels compelled to provide training directly to public security forces, reach an agreement with relevant authorities (e.g. ministries of defence and interior) regarding the content and regularity of the training.

• Pre-deployment training should be provided to all public security personnel working on and in the proximity of the company’s premises.
• Include, as a minimum, the following topics:
  • General human rights and security:
    1. Human rights and international humanitarian law (in countries affected by armed conflict).
    2. Self-defence.
    3. Prevention of sexual and gender-based violence.
    4. Community policing, including interactions with men, women, girls and boys in the local communities around company operational sites. This should also encompass topics relating to minorities and indigenous peoples, including sacred indigenous sites and respect for indigenous property, if there are any such sites near the company operational site.
    5. Rules of engagement for the use of force and firearms applicable to the protection of a project site. As a rule, public security forces should adopt a defensive approach when protecting a project site and use force only in self-defence and the defence of others from death or serious bodily harm. Refer participants to the use of force guidance developed for security providers: the UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials. It is of key importance that public security forces understand the different rules applicable to law enforcement operations and to the conduct of hostilities (i.e. when international humanitarian law applies). 
    6. Conflict management, crowd control and public order.
    7. Incident response and first aid techniques.
    8. Response and prevention of crime in general, such as theft and trespassing.
  • Context-specific topics:
    1. All national laws, codes and regulations. These documents should be made available to training participants and should be required learning material.
    2. Any history of company-community conflicts, how these were or were not resolved and the perceptions held by people in the communities.
• Consult civil society or community leaders to facilitate certain training modules, such as community policing and prevention of gender-based violence. Conduct practical exercises that include locally relevant scenarios and possible contingencies. One method is to use the ‘talk-through, walk-through, run-through’ formula: communicate all tasks and expectations to participants; discuss each step of the actions and responsibilities of participants; and runthrough the whole scenario with role-players. As the World Bank Group and Anvil Mining explain, ‘Training events are most effective if the scenario for the simulated incident is plausible or even a repeat of a previous incident’. The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights: An Implementation Toolkit for Major Project Sites, p. III-9 (World Bank Group and Anvil Mining 2008)
• Conduct joint incident management drills and rehearsals with public security forces, company security and local site management. In general terms, these exercises should address the phases of an incident response. The World Bank Group and Anvil Mining recommend including:
  • Preparation and review of rules of engagement.
  • Alert.
  • Deployment.
  • Designation of the on-site team leader.
  • Actions on contact.
  • Resolution of the incident.
  • Provision of medical attention (and evacuation), if required.
  • Review of post-incident lessons learned.
  • Final reporting and follow-up.

  The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights: An Implementation Toolkit for Major Project Sites, p. III-9 (World Bank Group and Anvil Mining 2008)

• Ensure the training addresses the specificities of providing security around corporate operations.
• Demonstrate the value of training to trainees. This can be done, for example, by issuing certificates with an internationally recognised qualification or by creating incentives for participants. Express that participants who successfully complete the programme may qualify for additional skills-based training (e.g. first aid).
• Invite community members or civil society to attend and observe each course.

Use the right language.

• Use language that resonates with public security forces. Be specific; focusing on the rules for the use of force, presenting different scenarios and sharing good practices on how to respond to challenging situations can be a much more effective way of addressing security and human rights issues than talking about general principles or international norms.
• Ensure the training is adapted to the literacy level of participants.
• Ensure that the training is gender -sensitive in content and towards its participants.

Complement the training with additional resources and meetings provided by the company.

• Conduct induction meetings to familiarise public security personnel with the company, in particular with its structure, policies, processes (e.g. handling of complaints and lines of reporting) and project sites.
• Host five-minute talks focused on key principles of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. Have these delivered regularly by supervisors.
• Create and disseminate supporting materials (e.g. a pocket book with principles on the use of force).

If necessary, cover the travel and per diem costs for trainees to attend the training.

• This is particularly important if the training takes place far from their home base.
• Where possible, travel and per diem costs should be paid directly to trainees to ensure resources reach the intended recipients and reduce the risk of misappropriation.

Train the trainers.

• Support training programmes on human rights and international humanitarian law for trainers of public security forces.
• Proactively engage with high-level police officials to introduce training of trainers (ToT) curricula.
• Coordinate with local in-country working groups on business, security and human rights in training for trainers.
• Coordinate with other organisations or existing trainer training programmes to identify and select potential participants with prior training experience and/or command-level officers who show the potential to be trainers.
• If possible, insist that army trainers are military and police trainers are police officers themselves, since they are better placed to communicate the content of training in a way that trainees can relate to. Furthermore, public security forces are much more likely to take the training seriously if it is a colleague or someone on their chain of command delivering the training.
• Support capacity-building programmes for representatives of civil society organisations on how to train security forces, as they can contribute. Ensure content is relevant, is sensitive to local contexts and maximises the outreach to community level.
• In case the country of operations is affected by armed conflict, explore opportunities for the International Committee of the Red Cross to provide international humanitarian law training to trainers.

Evaluate the impact of training.

• Conduct a test at the end of the training and compare it with the baseline survey (or aptitude test conducted as part of the needs analysis) in order to evaluate the impact of the training and to make amendments for future trainings.
• Follow up on the impact of the training on respect for human rights. For instance, this can be done through surveys or consultations with local communities, including all vulnerable groups (e.g. women ), in order to find out whether the provision of security and the human rights situation have improved as a consequence of training. In-country working groups on business, security and human rights may also monitor public security providers working on company operations and can play a significant role in monitoring and following up on the impact of trainings.

Facilitate regular refresher trainings.

• Refresher trainings should be an integral part of the training programme. These should be agreed upon with the host government with an agreed timeframe.
• Include a few new topics jn each refresher training.

Key Resources

• Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights Training Course (Voluntary Principles Initiative 2018): includes modules on human rights, roles and responsibilities of security personnel, and use of force
• VPs Implementation Toolkit for Major Project Sites (World Bank Group 2008)
• To Serve and to Protect: Human Rights and Humanitarian Law for Police and Security Forces (International Committee of the Red Cross 2020)

Good Practices

Engage with the relevant ministry (e.g. ministry of interior or ministry of defence) in order to do the following.

• Understand rotation policies (be they explicit or implicit policies).
• Request that sufficient notification is provided with regard to deployment of new personnel.
• Emphasise the need for adequate training to be provided prior to deployment (not once they have already assumed their roles).
• Request notification of any changes to deployment/rotation policies.

Support national training programmes to improve the capacity of public security forces. Ensure that training is renewed on a regular basis.

• Engage with the relevant ministry to identify how the company can contribute to improving training on human rights and international humanitarian law for public security forces (see Inadequate preparedness of public security forces: establishing a path to progress on human rights and minimal use of force within Training – Working with Public Security Forces).

Support training programmes provided by other stakeholders at the national or regional levels to ensure all public security forces receive training. Ensure that training is renewed on a regular basis.

• Support human rights training programmes developed by multilateral organisations, NGOs, national human rights institutions and other stakeholders.
• In situations of armed conflict, liaise with the International Committee of the Red Cross or another recognised provider with local knowledge and experience. Check whether they would be able to provide international humanitarian law training to public security forces in the company’s area of operations. If feasible, engage with relevant national and local authorities to ensure that all public security forces in the company’s area of operations receive training from the International Committee of the Red Cross or another recognised provider.
• Support security sector reform programmes offering training to public security forces.

Brief public security forces assigned to the project site area on company policies and Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights standards. Do so on a regular basis to ensure that new personnel are familiar with these policies and standards.

Good Practices

Communicate the company’s commitment to responsible security and respect for human rights. Include this commitment in agreements with the host government to facilitate acceptance by national security actors.

• Develop and publish a clear human rights policy. Link this policy to international standards and good practices on security and human rights, including the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. Ensure the policy is available in local languages and various media (e.g. in audio, pictures, graphic and written formats).
• (see Sensitive discussions on security and human rights within Human rights concerns – Working with Host Governments). This is an important element of implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
• Communicate company policies regarding ethical conduct and human rights to public security forces.
• Consult national laws to identify existing norms that reinforce standards in the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. Refer to these in any contracts or agreements with host State actors.
• Include the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and/or other standards in contracts, agreements and memoranda of understanding with the host government. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights explains that including human rights-related provisions within contracts and agreements ‘can play an important role in requiring or creating incentives for those other parties to respect human rights’. Additionally, communicating and discussing these expectations is critical, both internally and externally; 'Indeed, if a new activity or project will be governed by a negotiated contract with external parties, early communication between the staff that draw up the contract, those departments that will be involved in its execution and those that have oversight of human rights issues, can help to prevent problems later on.’

Meet regularly with the management of public security forces.

• The International Council on Mining and Metals emphasises that companies should ‘establish regular, formal meetings with public security providers in order to exchange security information and address concerns regarding human rights and (international) humanitarian law’.

Focus on common values.

• Focus the dialogue on concepts like ‘operational excellence’, ‘best practice', ‘respect for human life and dignity’ or other shared values. Establish a relationship of trust between the public security provider and the company security manager.
• Work with local public security commanders to establish mutually agreed upon rules of engagement for the use of force that comply with human rights and international humanitarian law.

Work with stakeholders at the national level to develop discussions around responsible security and respect for human rights

(see Host government and in-country processes on business, security, and human rights: dealing with limited commitment within Engagement and coordination with host governments (Working with Host Governments).

• Work with other companies, home country officials, NGOs and industry associations to advance the dialogue on responsible security and human rights. In particular, build dialogue on the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights; while the Voluntary Principles were initially developed for companies operating in the extractive sector, they also are applicable to companies in other industries that are willing to implement the provisions of the Voluntary Principles in their operations.
• Consider recommending that the government establish a formal in-country multi-stakeholder process to address issues around responsible security and respect.
• for human rights (see in country working groups).