In a 31 July 2009 interview with the Research Directorate, an officer from the Haitian National Police (Police nationale d’Haïti, PNH) headquarters stated that a police officer is considered [translation] “a deserter, not a criminal” if he leaves the police without permission. According to the Officer, leaving the PNH without permission is commonly known as [translation] “abandonment of position,” and the penalty is dismissal (“révocation”) (Haiti 31 July 2009). He added that, once it is established that there has been an abandonment of position, it is reported to law enforcement agencies (ibid).
During a 31 July 2009 interview with the Research Directorate, a journalist from Radio Métropole, a radio station that broadcasts from Port-au-Prince (Radio Métropole n.d.), also stated that leaving the police without permission is not automatically a crime, but rather, a desertion or an abandonment of position. In addition, the Radio Métropole Journalist noted that, owing to the large number of desertions, the various successive governments of the Republic of Haiti have dismissed deserters and recruited new police officers (Radio Métropole 31 July 2009).
In a 15 June 2004 article citing comments made by the Director General of the PNH, the Haitian news agency Alter Presse reported that, during the April 2004 process [translation] “to reform the life of the police institution,” the Superior Council of the Haitian National Police (Conseil supérieur de la Police nationale, CSPN) dismissed 120 police officers, including several inspectors, for “abandonment of position and irregular promotion.” According to a 14 September 2007 article published in Le Nouvelliste, a Port-au-Prince daily (Le Nouvelliste n.d.), about 2,462 police officers were dismissed, mostly for [translation] “abandonment of position, fraud and other violations against the PNH” between 1995 and 2006.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Alter Presse. 15 June 2004. “Haïti : la police, face au défi de regagner la confiance de la population.” <http://www.alterpresse.org/spip.php?article1449> [Accessed 4 Aug. 2009]
Haiti. 31 July 2009. Police National d’Haïti (PNH). Telephone interview with an officer from headquarters.
Le Nouvelliste [Port-au-Prince]. 14 September 2007. Sherline Chanlatte Duplan and Jean Max St Fleur. “Haïti : policier par amour ou par nécessité.” <http://www.lenouvelliste.com/article.php?PubID=1&ArticleID=47911&PubDate=2007-09-14#Suite> [Accessed 31 July 2009]
_____. 9 February 2006. “Le Nouvelliste au fil des ans.” <http://www.lenouvelliste.com/apropos/lenouvelliste.php> [Accessed 5 Aug. 2009]
Radio Métropole [Port-au-Prince]. 31 July 2009. Telephone interview with a journalist.
_____. N.d. “Radio Métropole - histoire.” <http://www.metropolehaiti.com/metropole/apropos.php> [Accessed 5 Aug. 2009]
Additional Sources Consulted
Internet sites, including: Le Monde diplomatique, Miami Herald, National Coalition for Haitian Rights (NCHR), United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), Radio Haïti Focus (RHF), Renaissance Haïti (RH), Syfia.com.