ABSTRACT
In UN-led United Nations Protection Force, the UN Press and Information Unit managed to some extent to inform the international press, but failed, despite many good efforts, to inform the local population. The Cyrus Vance Plan stated 'The civil police (CIVPOL) is to be collocated with the local police'. The fact is that, in any mission, the UN civil police will without any doubt be greatly outnumbered by the local police. Violations of human rights, in particular those being committed by the law enforcement agencies that CIVPOL is monitoring, must be the overriding concern for the CIVPOL monitor at all times. As the UNPROFOR mission went on, CIVPOL as well as the other UN agencies, experienced 'creeping mandates'. CIVPOL must, at an early stage of the mission, be able to hand out leaflets in the local language explaining the mandate of CIVPOL.
