Haiti - More than Voodoo and Rum
|
Paul Biddle is head of a team of security experts from the This is our first blog and, like all first steps, it’s not easy. I knew very little about Haiti and what I did know was based on vague ideas - the land of Voodoo and Rum, Papa Doc and Bond movies. Nothing quite prepared me for my experience here. So why is the UK Government here...the devastating earthquake which killed thousands of Haitians was beyond awful. The international community, well versed in natural disasters, mobilised the rescue teams, delivered food and water and started the relief effort. The Haitians, initially stunned by the immeasurable loss of lives, the devastation of infrastructure and the crippling of government, have begun to rally. As stoic a people you would ever hope to meet, they’ve started the long process of healing and recovery. The UK Government’s Stabilisation Unit work here was to be a different sort - prisons!! I’ve been involved for over 25 years with prisons either building them, training the staff or mentoring senior prison management in both conflict and post-conflict situations but, as I said earlier, I’ve never worked in the aftermath of a major natural disaster. Re-constructing prisons in these circumstances is somewhat uncharted territory for the UK Government. In 30 seconds, most of the infrastructure in the capital and its surroundings were destroyed, including much of the Haitian prison service. Given the scenes of devastation I can only imagine how the prisoners and the guards felt in those 30 seconds and why the guards fled to their families, in some cases leaving the prisoners in their cells. Prisoners used any means they could to escape with some guards releasing prisoners back into the community on humane grounds. The escaping prisoners destroyed all prison records.....and up to 5000 of the total Haitian prison population of 8000 fled. So when the initial team came to Haiti, the Haitian Government gave a very clear assessment that they needed to re-establish law and order. The rebuilding of the prisons was the first step to achieving this and ensuring that the international aid effort was not threatened by lawlessness. The Haitians were also very clear that nothing could be the same as before the earthquake. They needed to do it better and to do so they were keen to accept the assistance of the international community - this is how we and our international partners came to be here. Our work, co-ordinated by the Haitian Ministry of Justice will begin in earnest over the next few months. I will blog on our successes and failures along with a good dose of measured humour...I look forward to the new staff arriving, introducing our Haitian friends to you and embracing Haitian culture.........Until next time….team of security experts from the UK’s Stabilisation Unit helping to restore law, order and security in Haiti’s capital by rebuilding and strengthening the prisons destroyed in the earthquake. Paul has worked for over 25 years in the prison sector in both conflict and post-conflict situations such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Here he recounts his experiences of the SU's work in Haiti. |
|
