30 Years for the Haitian National Police: When the RNDDH Analyzes the Flaws of the Police Institution

The Haitian National Police (PNH) celebrates its 30th anniversary. On this occasion, the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH) paints a grim picture of the institution. In a report published this June 12, 2025, the organization highlights structural flaws, the precariousness of officers, the lack of equipment, and calls for urgent reforms. Established on June 12, 1995, the Haitian National Police (PNH) marks its 30th anniversary in a context characterized by widespread insecurity, armed gang attacks, and growing distrust of authorities. The National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH) takes this opportunity to review the functioning of the police institution and the working conditions of its officers. Its report is severe, but clear-sighted. Deplorable Working Conditions The RNDDH first denounces the direct effects of insecurity on police officers. Neighborhoods traditionally inhabited by law enforcement, such as Solino, Delmas, or Carrefour-Feuilles, having fallen under gang control, many officers have been forced to flee their homes. Some now live in police stations or with relatives, often in undignified conditions. The Superior Council of the National Police (CSPN) remains passive in the face of this precariousness, the organization laments. A Misleading War Budget The institution certainly benefited from an amended budget of nearly 33 billion gourdes last April, described as a “war budget” by the government. However, according to the RNDDH, 73% of this allocation is dedicated to salaries and social charges, while only 3% of the state's overall budget is actually dedicated to investment in equipment, infrastructure, and training. A distribution deemed insufficient given the security challenges. Remuneration and Recognition: A Source of Frustration The report also criticizes irregular payments, insufficient salaries, and the lack of recognition for merit. Despite the adoption of texts granting risk bonuses and providing for a career plan, these remain inapplicable or poorly applied. Troop morale is eroding. “Many officers feel that their commitment is neither recognized nor rewarded,” notes the RNDDH. Equipment and Capacity Building: Commendable Efforts While the institution benefits from constant international support (notably from Canada, the United States, and France), the RNDDH regrets that equipment – weapons, armored vehicles, drones – is still largely supplied from abroad. Nevertheless, it commends the continuous training and new recruit promotions that contribute to strengthening internal capacities. Attacks and Heavy Losses Between June 2024 and June 2025, at least 33 police officers were killed, mostly in clashes with gangs. Several police stations and penitentiary infrastructures have also been attacked or destroyed. The RNDDH warns about areas retaken but not permanently secured, such as Solino, where bandits quickly regained control after law enforcement departed. The Task Force Under Criticism While the use of kamikaze drones has inflicted losses on armed groups (over 300 deaths according to the RNDDH), the organization criticizes the coordination of these operations. Initially absent, the PNH is still not truly involved in the management of drones, which is overseen by the Prime Minister's Office (Primature). Result: no lasting victories, no major arrests of gang leaders. Urgent Structural Reform For the RNDDH, the PNH's 30th anniversary must be an opportunity for in-depth reform. It calls for improved salary conditions, effective recognition of merit, better support for injured officers and the families of slain police officers, as well as genuine involvement of the PNH in coordinating security operations. Far from any celebration, this 30th anniversary exposes the glaring flaws of an indispensable but weakened institution. For the RNDDH, the PNH will only be able to fully play its role as guarantor of public security if it benefits from sufficient resources, effective supervision, and a firm political will to reform it in depth.