On 6 December 2022 Col Giuseppe De Magistris, NSPCoE’s Director participated in the (co-organized) hybrid roundtable titled “Filling the Security Gap: International Approaches to Policing in Conflict” [available on both https://youtu.be/OrEcHzco4GU and on USIP website, i.e., Filling the Security Gap: International Approaches to Policing in Conflict | United States Institute of Peace (usip.org)].  

The roundtable explored how past international policing and reform efforts made the case for specialized policing interventions, what these specialized models looked like in practice, and how they could be applied to current and emerging conflicts.

The speakers of the event were:

• Ambassador Lars-Gunnar WIGEMARK, Head of Mission, EULEX Kosovo, who was very vocal and eulogistic about the role played by the Carabinieri in Kosovo (both under NATO and EU aegis) and supportive of the role of Stability Policing assets in destabilized environments;
• Mr. John F. SOPKO, SIGAR Inspector General;
• Col. Giuseppe De MAGISTRIS, NATO SP COE Director;
• Mr. Jaswant LAL, Strategic Policy and Development Section Lead, UN Police Division;
• Mr. Philippe LEROUX-MARTIN, Director for Governance, Justice and Security, USIP.

The main conclusions of the discussions highlighted that:

• both during and after conflict, police play a vital role in restoring public security and rebuilding local capacity to uphold the rule of law;
• local Law Enforcement may sometimes be unable or unwilling to provide policing services in “conflict-affected” settings, which means that the international community is often called on to fill the security gap;
• to do so, the international community requires the ability to rapidly deploy policing experts and calibrate its capacities and mandates of policing missions to the demands of volatile environments,
• the most suitable police elements for these types of mission are the gendarmerie-type forces. 

Attending an office call with Mr. Philippe Leroux-Martin, Director for Governance, Justice and Security at the U.S Institute for Peace.

Before the roundtable, the NATO SP COE delegation (make up by Col Giuseppe De Magistris and Col Dorin Luta) attended an office call with Mr. Philippe LEROUX-MARTIN, Director for Governance, Justice and Security at USIP. The discussion focused on:

• the USIP’s interest in cooperating with NATO SP COE, with a focus on Security Sector Governance and Police Reform Programs;
• Using the roundtable of the day as an example, similar activities are to be organized in the near future, both in person but also on-line, to promote the additional value and unique role Stability Policing can play in fragile states;
• USIP engagement in several working groups, some with a specific connection to Stability Policing. The WG on “Curbing Elite Manipulation of Security Sectors” was mentioned, which conducted a study on how manipulation of the security sector for personal, political or financial gain contributes to violence. The final report will be released in February 2023, during the Munich Security Conference (USIP will try to extend an invitation to NATO SP COE to attend this conference);
• Possible publication of SP-related articles (also co-drafted with USIP) on their outlets.