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be carefully prearranged and im- nal qualities outlined above. Ap- advisers to the same host-State or-
plemented, and kept in track with propriate courses will then hone ganisation while other national ser-
constant control on and evaluation and sharpen such qualities, with vices – possibly perceived as less
of the development of the project. a view of preparing the prospecti- important – are neglected. Or that
Strategic planning cannot be im- ve strategic adviser for his specific advisers deployed by different Po-
provised: unlike tactical opera- mission. Insufficient training can lice Contributing Countries (PCC)
tions – which are sometimes lau- happen, and it is often due to pres- do not coordinate their coun-
nched as an immediate reaction sing deadlines for deployment. sel, providing conflicting advice.
to unexpected emergencies, and Rush can be accepted in tacti- In some occasions, donor coun-
therefore fast-tracked and rou- cal, but not in strategic situations: tries wrongly identify strategic ad-
ghly planned with little informa- it is better to delay the arrival of vising with training & equipping.
tion – strategic planning requires an efficient, competent, fully trai- It is not the same thing. Training

specific expertise and many ye- ned adviser that sending – within & equipping can be part of the
ars of practice. A gifted planner is the given deadline – an improvi- overall capacity building strategy,
not the one who can remem- sed, unqualified and totally useless be it recommended by advisers
ber a thousand different plans one. Motivation plays an impor- or requested by local authorities,
and choose the most suitable tant role: personnel that let tran- but by no means it can substitute
among them, but the one who spire any hint of egotism, power strategic advising. Furthermore,
can devise a new plan for each hunger, neo-colonialist tendencies, in some occasions the equipment
new situation he has to face. complacency, arrogance or gre- provided is outdated or not nee-
In that difficult endeavour, ed (overseas missions are usual- ded, in some other it is new, ex-
experience plays a decisive ly well paid) must be discarded. tremely sophisticated and so diffi-
role. Experience cannot be Some advisers are disadvantaged cult and expensive to operate that
taught, it must be made going by their relatively low rank. Top tier it ends up laying unpacked and
through many and different si- officials can resent being advised forgotten in some dusty warehou-
tuations over a long stretch of by experts they consider of far in- se. In both cases it would not solve
time. Strategic advisers must ferior hierarchical level. A Chief any problem in the host-State, but
have consolidated internatio- of Police is not always happy to only ease the donor country’s con-
nal experience, so that even be advised by a Lieutenant-Co- science. Sometimes the discrepan-
when they are covering that lonel or by a Police Superinten- cy between local needs and provi-
delicate position for the first dent, as he has hundreds of them ded equipment is so marked that it
time they can draw suitable obeying his orders. Sometimes, gives the impressions that the do-
courses of action from situa- even if they genuinely appreciate nor country is exploiting the situa-
tions, practices and decisions the adviser’s skills and qualities, tion for selling surplus production
occurred in other missions in order to maintain their digni- of some commodities, including
in which they participated. ty in front of their personnel, of weapons, possibly in exchan-
their colleagues and political ad- ge for local natural resources.
Lessons-not-Learned: Com- versaries, and of the whole po- In some occasions, strategic advi-
mon mistakes pulation they refuse the advisers, sing offered generic solutions for
The set of qualities requi- making their mission impossible, specific situations. Even if normally
red in efficient and succes- or even publicly show impatien- suggested in good faith, confiding
sful police strategic advi- ce and irritation towards them. A that a course of action that pro-
sers significantly reduces the possible solution could be giving ved to be efficient in other thea-
pool of applicable candida- “functional” higher ranks to stra- ters can be successfully replicated
tes for that position. That leads tegic advisers before deployment in the local situation, this can be
to the first mistake donor coun- and for the mission period only. a mistake. Situations never over-
tries often make: wrong selection . Lack of coordination within the in- lap perfectly, nor they can be per-
Selection must start way before ternational community is another fectly reproduced: many factors
training, targeting personnel pos- common mistake: it can happen contributing to their final outco-
sessing the natural and professio- that several donor countries send me do not depend from and can-

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