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An uneasy marriage: non-state actors and police reform

This article looks at the inclusion of non-state actors in security sector reform (SSR) programming, specifically when efforts are made to strengthen local-level security through police reform. It explores how the role of non-state actors has been conceptualised vis-à-vis the role of states as providers of security and justice in fragile state settings. It is argued that even though the central role of non-state actors in SSR in general and policing in particular has increasingly been acknowledged, the imperative of state building, which continues to structure SSR, makes non-state actors as providers of security at the local level an uneasy bedfellow. Based on experiences around police reform in sub-Saharan Africa, Sierra Leone in particular, the article illustrates how key personnel and advisers in police programming are aware of the importance to engage communities and develop context-specific programmes, but fall back on state-centric approaches. As will be outlined, there are many reasons for this, including the political context in which SSR is undertaken, pressure to achieve results and the like.