Haiti replaces national police chief in fight against gang violence | Police news

Newly appointed Prime Minister Garry Conille has promised to ensure security in the crisis-ridden country and strengthen the police.

Haiti’s newly installed government has announced the replacement of the chief of the embattled national police force in its latest response to gang violence in the crisis-ridden country.

Police chief Frantz Elbe will be replaced by former police chief Rameau Normil, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed.

The move comes as Haiti’s new Prime Minister Garry Conille faces increasing pressure to strengthen the Haitian National Police, a force that remains severely underfunded and poorly equipped despite leading the fight against powerful armed gangs in the Caribbean country.

Conille himself was appointed by a transitional council in May after gangs seized large parts of the capital Port-au-Prince earlier this year and deposed former Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Pierre Esperance of the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH) described Elbe’s time as police chief as “catastrophic” in an interview with Reuters news agency after the change was announced on Friday.

“Elbe’s record at the helm of the police is disastrous,” Esperance said, adding that he believes Elbe should be prosecuted.

“He spent all his time building relationships with the gangs, strengthening the gangs and preventing police officers from doing their jobs and risking their lives,” he said.

Haiti’s police unions have also repeatedly called for Elbe’s resignation and arrest, citing gang raids on at least 30 police stations and substations in recent months, part of a series of attacks that began on February 29.

On Wednesday, the SPNH-17 police union held a press conference condemning the state of the department under Elbe. SYNAPOHA, another police union, joined earlier this week in calling on Conille to strengthen the department.

This latest development came as Haiti was still awaiting the deployment of a Kenyan-led, United Nations-backed multinational security force consisting of 1,000 Kenyan officers and personnel from some Caribbean countries.

The troops were supposed to be deployed at the end of May, but their arrival was repeatedly delayed.

Normil, for his part, headed the National Police from mid-2019 to the end of 2020 under former President Jovenel Moise, who was assassinated in 2021.

He previously headed the criminal investigation department. The timing of the new appointment was not immediately clear.

Fight against gang violence

Haiti’s rapidly shrinking police force is suffering from a lack of resources as it battles criminal groups. The troops, equipped with high-caliber weapons, are mostly smuggled from the nearby United States, according to the UN.

According to the UN, the police force will consist of just over 13,200 people in 2023. The international organization warned that in a country with 11 million inhabitants, only about 4,000 police officers are on duty at any given time.

Meanwhile, a recent survey by the RNDDH found that 20 police officers have already been killed this year, and more than 320 since 2015.

The most common complaints raised by police officers included unpaid wages, inadequate training, workplace harassment, threats of termination, stabbing and gunshot wounds, and lack of equipment.

Nevertheless, Haiti’s new government under Conille has promised to bring about change.

“Haiti is facing major challenges. Violence and instability paralyze our daily lives,” Conille said at an official ceremony on Wednesday.

“My government will work tirelessly to improve the living conditions of every Haitian,” he said, adding: “Without security, no sustainable progress can be achieved.”

“It is vital that our police officers and soldiers are prepared for today’s security challenges,” added Conille. “We will ensure that they have the resources they need to carry out their mission effectively and professionally.”

Haiti’s ombudsman, the Civil Protection Office, called on Normil to present a plan to control the gangs and improve police forces “immediately”.

The government is also calling on the authorities to provide explanations for the high number of killings and the recent “spectacular” escape of around 4,500 prisoners, despite the authorities having previously shown “complete indifference”.

According to recent UN estimates, 578,000 people in Haiti have been displaced from their homes by gang violence. Thousands have been killed and millions have suffered acute hunger as a result of the unrest.