FORUM: General Assembly Third Committee

QUESTION OF: The Question of Police Brutality

SUBMITTED BY: Singapore

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

Alarmed by the lack of adequate training that is resulting in a growing epidemic of police
violence and situations in which the use of excessive force has been unnecessary exerted,
Emphasizing that all officials enforcing laws are expected to understand and employ human
rights guidelines to each aspect of their work,
Expressing its appreciation for the efforts of various nations and law enforcement agencies to
ensure the safety of their civilians, and for documents such as the U.N. Convention Against
Torture (1987),
Stressing the need for a specific international standard to be established that revolves around
police conduct and training in order to ensure a higher quality of active officers in appropriately
responding to various situations,
1. Encourages member nations to be active participants in the International Criminal Police
Organization (INTERPOL), focusing on the issue of current police conduct and training with
goals such as, but not limited to:
a) establishing the creation of an international set of guidelines that will seek to improve
police forces across the world
b) evaluating past records of each participating nation in order to see which countries are
at high risk to being susceptible to unusual and extreme cases of law enforcement
officials abusing their power
c) implementing better systems, as specifically stated in operative clauses 2, 3, and 4
that combat tensions in terms of violent demonstrations, physical exchanges, and such
between the public and law enforcement, which can address issues such as:
i. legal injustice regarding cases involving law enforcement officials
ii. unnecessary use of extreme force and weapons
iii. arbitrary arrest and detention on bias of ethnicity and race;

2. Supports that each police department undergoes training modeled after Singapores
Leadership Competencies and Leadership Training programs in their Police Force which
includes:
a) Investing more time in training the leaders of divisions in order to promote prosperity
throughout the program and closer bonds within the division members, emphasizing
the importance of:
 i. a more comprehensive and balanced training by enforcing the usage of
effective communication and verbal skills for police officers
ii. tightening background checks on potential police officers to ensure the
passing of both mental and physical tests
iii. the possible record of arbitrary arrests and actions that turn out to be grossly
false, or lead to injury and assault to be put on individual police officers
records
b) train police officers to approach situations with community problem solving skills
versus the orthodox decisions based on the control or restrictions of one leader
c) a training gap analysis that assesses the individuals retention of the leadership
material, as well as an accompanying guide on several solutions on how to address an
officers inefficiency in one or more categories
d) requires police officers to take a reassessment every 2 years that examines their
i. physical and mental capabilities
ii. knowledge on their rights when prosecuting or when carrying out duties;

3. Trusts that each police investigation obeys the following regulations regarding investigations
and trials:
a) every person has the right to a fair trial and personal security in such a way that he or
she can refuse a personal search that does not have sufficient evidence
b) a person should not be discriminated against or prosecuted on the basis of race or
ethnicity
c) torture techniques of any kind cannot be employed to incite a confession or other
information because it is in violation of basic humanitarian rights, with guidelines
such as, but not limited to:
i. witnesses, victims, and suspects are required to be treated with respect
ii. a person being questioned must know all of their rights, including the right to
confidentiality, before answering any questions
d) in a trial, a person is seen as innocent until proven guilty without reasonable doubt
e) investigations must be speedy relative to the country's judicial process and not
infringe significantly on a victims or witnesss personal life
i. evidence must be collected carefully and processed with accuracy
ii. the purpose of an investigation is to search for witnesses and discover motives,
methods, location, date and time in order to prosecute perpetrators;
4. Suggests that juveniles should be treated slightly different than suspects and criminals that
are of the legal age in their respective countries, while still receiving all human rights
guaranteed to the adults, and therefore must be:
a) separated from adults who are detained for the same crimes and kept with other
children
b) approached in such a way that their punishment will rehabilitate them and reintegrate
them into society:
i. detaining a juvenile for several years on end should be avoided in most
situations because it does not allow for the child to reintegrate into society
ii. weapons, especially firearms, should not be accepted by guards into the
juvenile detention centers
iii. establishment of education centers and conventions inside the detention
centers that motivate juveniles and encourage them to communication and
express their problems
c) children should have the option to receive regular visits from their parents or other
family members who do not have a criminal record
d) privacy should be respected by the guards, and inspectors should show up for random
visits to ensure their rights are being maintained;
5. Takes note of the importance that an universal definition of police brutality, such as verbal or
psychological intimidation and deliberate use of excessive force, be recognized and expanded
in order that there be a clearer understanding of what constitutes as an abuse of power, and
the extent of appropriate force to employ in events of emergency;

6. Emphasizes that firearm usage should not be the primary course of action in every situation,
but instead may only be used in drastic and unavoidable cases that protect at least one life
such as:
a) self defense in the case that an officer feels that there is an immediate threat that his
life is in significant danger
b) thwarting a malicious crime that potentially endangers an innocent bystanders life,
when various measures of less severe results are not adequate for handling a
perpetrator or criminal that is trying to escape;

7. Recommends that police play a proactive role in situations involving battery, assault, and
domestic abuse by:
a) acting diligently to make arrests to evident signs of domestic violence regardless of
status of the person
b) having women being inspected by female officers so they are not uncomfortable;
8. Further recommends that countries that are more susceptible to police violence be monitored
and given special attention in ways, such as, but not limited to:
a) the appointment of unbiased third party organizations such as the National
Association Against Police Brutality (NAAPB), National Association of Police
Organizations (NAPO), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the
International Police Association (IPA), to monitor police departments for cases of
corruption and other liabilities that might result in misuse of excessive force
b) grant funds or higher budgets from agencies such as the World Bank Group (WBG)
or INTERPOL, to law enforcement offices in need to be used solely for the purpose
of improving police training as upheld by visits made by the third party organizations
such as those mentioned above;

9. Strongly asks all countries to look into methods that would supply better evidence and lower
the likelihood of harm to both police officer and civilian, such as, but not limited to:
a) implementation of body cameras on active members of the police force during their
duty and the addition of video cameras to all police vehicles, which can be made
accessible to Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs) who may be dealing
with internal corruption or lack of education through loans or funding as specified in
operative clause 7
b) encouraging and promoting social platforms, such as open discussions online and at
institutions in personal communities, in which the general public can discuss the issue
of police brutality and ways to better police conduct and training, people who are
involved in the discussion can choose to be anonymous
c) Setting hotlines in nations, and victims and witnesses who are involved in the
conflicts with the police can call anonymously
d) increasing transparency in ways such as, but not limited to:
i. access to personnel misconduct files, and in cases of police misconduct,
records of settlements and judgments
ii. encouraging the reporting of violent incidents involving the police force and
police killings as such are underreported by law enforcement;

10. Implores that physical force is only to be used where absolutely necessary for legitimate law
enforcement principles in such a way that:
a) the amount of force used is proportional to the severity and degree to which the crime
was being committed
b) property damage and physical injury to any one person is minimized and avoided in
the majority of cases
 c) the police force will be expected to reimburse a citizen or family who has been
directly affected by an extreme use of force committed by one of their own police
members;

11. Emphasizes that firearm usage should not be the primary course of action in every situation,
but instead may only be used in drastic and unavoidable cases that protect at least one life
such as:
a) self defense in the case that an officer feels that there is an immediate threat that his
life is in significant danger
b) thwarting a malicious crime that potentially endangers an innocent bystanders life
c) when various measures of less severe results are not adequate for handling a
perpetrator or criminal that is trying to escape;

12. Urges that awareness be drawn to the issue of police misconduct by public campaigns
instituted by the United Nations in the form of print, social media, and television, with the
aims of, but not limited to:
a) informing the general population on their rights regarding situations of arrest or
searches
b) highlighting the lack of adequate police training
c) bringing awareness to legal cases in which law enforcement officers in situations of
police violence and brutality are not brought to justice, to ensure that humanitarian
law, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is upheld
d) advertise criticism feedback mechanisms/departments the police force encompasses,
as to ensure citizens that their complaints are addressed and valued;

13. Invites governments to develop adequate laws that prosecute police officers who do not meet
this standard.