V. Hargeisa’s Modest Experiment

Abstract

Police–community engagement in Mogadishu’s districts varies according to clan dynamics, personalities and security issues. Expectations are low on both sides, but the physical vulnerability of police officers and their stations means that some form of working relationship must be developed; it may be based on avoidance or acquiescence, rather than trust, but it must represent a locally acceptable form of engagement. This suggests that the key to understanding police–community engagement is in the knowledge, skills and resources police need to fulfil local, rather than international, expectations regarding the management of low-level security. This interpretation helps to move the debate about police–community relations forward from the now standard assertion that public trust is the key variable influencing police effectiveness and the legitimacy of police actions. Contrary to Boateng, collaborative relationships do not depend on institutional legitimacy, trust or procedural justice. Rather, it depends on a range of context-specific variables. Mogadishu’s environment is unique, so its experience of mobiles providing a two-way technology capable of reaching low-income or marginalised populations and affecting their response to crime does not necessarily transfer to more remote Somali cities, such as Baidoa and Kismayo (140 and 250 miles by air to the west and south respectively). Nevertheless, Mogadishu’s experience raises general questions about the