The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) is committed to promoting a model of democratic policing in which the police are subject to the rule of law and responsible to protect human rights.

In this, they must be accountable to a variety of institutions; transparent about policies, decisions and actions taken in most spheres of their work; responsive to the people they serve; and representative of the people they serve.

This is the model of policing that democracy demands and governments are duty bound to provide.

Reforming policing across the Commonwealth requires changing and refining laws, putting in place innovative institutional arrangements and altering the culture within police organisations.

With political will and concerted efforts and co-operation of governments, police officials, and civil society it is entirely achievable.

In this regard, CHRI makes a series of priority recommendations to different target groups.

For national leaders

Commonwealth heads of government must in their communiqu - at their meeting in Malta next month - recognise that principles of accountability, transparency, participation, adherence to the rule of law, respect for diversity and democratic functioning apply to the security and justice sectors, including police organisations.

They must explicitly acknowledge that democratic policing is crucial to realising democracy and development; commit to developing Commonwealth Principles on Policing drawn from its core principles and international standards; and undertake to apply these principles to policing in their own countries.

In addition, heads of government must agree to ratify international human rights treaties within a finite timeframe and develop a mechanism at their biennial meetings to report on and monitor implementation of past commitments.

Member states must acknowledge the duty to ensure people's right to safety and security and thereby to provide a police organisation that is efficient, effective and adheres to the rule of law.

They must review and recast police laws, rules and regulations, especially those that pre-date the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, so as to incorporate and extend the principles of democratic policing.

In addition, they should re-examine internal security laws to minimise the possibility of impunity and remove obstacles to prosecution or victim compensation and civil suits for police wrongdoing; and protect whistleblowers from harm and victimisation through legislation and supportive systems.

Traditional executive, legislative, and judicial oversight of police should be strengthened, while multiple independent civilian oversight mechanisms should be put in place - like an ombudsman, human rights commission, anti-corruption body or dedicated police complaints agency.

Leaders should ensure - through institutional arrangements such as strong, autonomous police service boards, commissions and authorities - that executive oversight does not illegimately interfere with operational independence of the police.

Annual performance targets and evaluation measurements should be published against which adherence to human rights, value for money, performance and community satisfaction can be publicly judged.

Transparent and merit-based procedures should be designed, to be measured against objective publicly-known criteria for representative and non-discriminatory recruitment, selection, and appointment of leadership and rank and file.

National leaders should also ensure good service conditions for police and fair accountability procedures that are applicable to all.

They must initiate, in collaboration with police organisations, procedures and mechanisms designed to involve civil society groups and the community at large in creating policy, determining priorities, setting targets and evaluating performance.

Also, they should re-examine, in collaboration with police organisations, training content, methodology and frequency to emphasise human rights awareness.

For police chiefs

Police leaders and police organisations must ensure that upholding the rule of law and protecting human rights and democratic values are core values of policing integrated into its vision, policies and procedures, reinforced through training, and demonstrated in its work.

They should send a strong signal to all within and outside that as an organisation of high professional standards, the police will perform well, be open and approachable, and not tolerate abuse of power, corruption, neglect of duty, suborning the law or any misconduct, or protect wrongdoing.

Internal accountability mechanisms should be provided adequate resources. These should be fair and firm, and enjoy the support and confidence of the public as well as police personnel. The police force should co-operate with external oversight mechanisms

Police chiefs should further ensure that the force is representative of the population it serves; in particular by improving the representation and retention of minority groups and women, ensuring the work environment is suitable to particular needs and providing equal career opportunities to all.

They should encourage maximum possible transparency to build public confidence in the police and trust in police-community relationships.

For civil society and donors

Civil society should:

- Equip itself to campaign for police reform and accountability by understanding the police, its environment, relevant laws, its resources and responsibilities and that of the government and oversight bodies.

- Assess police functioning in accordance with national and international standards and continuously challenge and draw attention to police wrongdoing.

- Demand and disseminate information about policing to create a democratic discourse, participate in policy processes and public debates on policing issues to challenge the perception that policing is a technical issue only to be discussed by those in uniform.

- Engage in partnerships with the police to bring about community involvement and improve community safety.

Donors should require that accountability and human rights issues be integrated into all related police reform programmes, and take firm measures against recipient governments that use police to curb civil liberties and consistently do not adhere to international human rights standards in practice.

CHRI is an international NGO working for the practical realisation of human rights in the Commonwealth.

This is the final article of an edited extract from its report, Police Accountability: Too Important to Neglect, Too Urgent to Delay , to be presented to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta next month.