An Amnesty International (Dutch Section) report on guidelines for implementation of the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials.
The structure of this document:
Part one of this document contains the actual “Guidelines for Implementation of the Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials” (named: “Guidelines” hereafter), i.e. a summary of legislative, institutional and practical measures to be taken by governments and law enforcement agencies in order to comply with the international human rights standards set out in the Basic Principles.
Part two is the Explanatory Text, in which more in-depth information is provided with the considerations and reflections that culminated in the formulation of the present Guidelines. It is divided into two parts:
Section A deals with domestic legislation and the minimum aspects that should be regulated by law and not be left to the operational decisions of a law enforcement agency – not only in relation to the use of force and firearms itself, but also and in particular to ensure effective accountability for such use.
Section B deals with the operational framework which any law enforcement agency should establish in order to instruct, guide and assist law enforcement officials in the fulfilment of their duties. Such a framework is not achieved merely by drafting a human rights manual or including a few hours of human rights education in training curricula, but requires a set of concrete measures to be taken by the law enforcement agency. The term operational framework is therefore to be understood broadly, as encompassing the development of operational procedures and instructions (including standing orders), the provision of adequate law enforcement equipment and appropriate training as well as effective supervision and control.
Each chapter is structured in the same way:
– The chapter outline.
– The provisions of the Basic Principles that are relevant for the chapter.
The Guidelines for implementation of these Basic Principles that are further explained in the chapter.
– The Explanatory Text itself with country examples and relevant international human rights law and standards (including reference documents from international bodies).
Frequent cross references [to other Chapters] serve to facilitate the navigation through this document.
