Project aims and objectives:

This project aims to develop and evaluate performance measures for overseas policing missions in post-conflict situations. The project focused on peace operations and capacity building by Australian Federal Police (AFP) missions particularly in terms of their contribution to the Australian government’s commitment to enhancing regional stability.
The project has developed an effective means of measuring the impact of AFP / International Deployment Group (IDG) impact on international peace and security through its participation in peace operations and capacity building. These measures will allow the AFP to examine what it is delivering, improve future delivery, and demonstrate return for investment.

Interviews, consultation and working group discussions have been undertaken to gain further insight into current practices, perceived problems and potential recommendations for improvements. Such interviews included Australian Government officials – primarily AFP personnel and AusAID representatives, as well as police officers operating in the field (including participating Pacific Island police forces). Performance management indicators and processes for monitoring and evaluation were developed. These indicators were tested through field trips and case studies. Further refinement and re-evaluation was conducted in light of the field-testing.

The project developed an effective means of project evaluation and a set of performance models to measure:

• the overall impact of international policing missions in relation to international relations and international aid policies;
• the impact of international policing contributions to peace operations in the context of the nature of the mission (monitoring, peace enforcement, etc);
• the impact of international policing contributions to capacity building in post-conflict circumstances.

Key 2011 project activities and outcomes:

2011 saw the finalisation of the major project deliverables and the completion of three major reports for the AFP-IDG:

• Bryn Hughes, Charles Hunt and Jodie Curth (2011), Collaborative Policing, Monitoring & Evaluation: Program Management Framework: Introductory Manual.
• Bryn Hughes, Charles Hunt and Jodie Curth (2011), Collaborative Policing, Monitoring & Evaluation: Program Management Framework: Comprehensive Manual.
• Bryn Hughes, Charles Hunt and Jodie Curth (2011), Collaborative Policing, Monitoring & Evaluation: Program Management Framework: Final Report, Rethinking International Policing, Reorienting Monitoring and Evaluation.

Other 2011 publications reporting aspects of the project included:

• Hunt, C. and Bellamy, A.J. (2011). Mainstreaming the Responsibility to Protect in Peace Operations. Civil Wars, 13 (1), 1-20.
• Bryn, H. (2011). Peace operations and the political: A Pacific reminder of what really matters. The Journal of International Peacekeeping, 16(1-2), 99-118.
• Bryn, H. (2011). Finding the pulse of peace operations: The case to engage the ‘political’ rather than the technical. In Kyed, H.M., Albrecht, P., Isser, D. & Harper E. (Eds.), Access to Justice and Security – Non-State Actors and the Local Dynamics of Ordering (pp. 172-197). Rome: International Development Law Organization Publishing (electronic volume).
• Two workshops/symposia with AFP-IDG personnel were convened in April and September 2011.

The project has now been effectively completed. The remaining activities, to be completed in 2012, are as follows:

• Publication of a book reporting the results of the project to be entitled ‘Rethinking International Policing: Learning and Programming from Complex Realities’, Bryn Hughes, Jodie Curth-Bibb and Charles Hunt, Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland (a publishing contact for this book is currently in place).
• Submission of three PhD theses by:

– Jodie Curth, ‘Challenging ‘travelling rationalities’ in police capacity building: Locally embedded program management and monitoring & evaluation.’

– Charles Hunt, ‘Policing the destruction: Reconstructing the police: Monitoring and evaluating the impact of Police in UN peace operations.’

– Alex Pound, ‘Conflict environments: Dangers and opportunities for policing operations.’

Significant highlights:

Three major reports setting out the findings of the project were completed and presented to AFP-IDG. These reports included two manuals that provide a framework for the roll-out, application, and resourcing for monitoring & evaluation practices throughout the IDG in the coming years. These are significant achievements in research translation which have the potential to develop innovative practices in Australian peacekeeping operations.

During the course of the project, a substantial number of academic publications and papers at international research meetings provided international exposure to the monitoring and evaluation innovations developed out of the research. Publications include: one co-authored book; one edited book; a special issue of The Journal of International Peacekeeping; nine articles in leading peer reviewed journals; four book chapters; and eight papers at national and international conferences.

The research team also convened six workshops with AFP-IDG personnel to develop and translate applied aspects of monitoring and evaluation that arose out of the project.

Finally, three PhD students have completed their dissertations on aspects of the project and will submit their theses in 2012. One honours student also received first class honours for her thesis on the project.

Stimulating future engagement:

CEPS has also concluded a new project agreement in 2012 to assisting AFP-IDG in 2012 to develop and review the Police Development Strategy and Toolkit for AFP to engage in developing countries. These activities assist the AFP-IDG to remain at the forefront of security provision through peacekeeping operations, executive support functions, and the new field of police development overseas.