A/HRC/22/65 tough measures, clear signals and uncompromising decisions to show that the Haitian authorities are determined to take decisive action on this issue. 57. During meetings with the Prime Minister, the independent expert again stated that he welcomed the support given to the Office of the Inspector-General and the fact that six inspectors general had been appointed. At the same time, he noted that the Office still reports to the Director-General of the National Police. The adoption of a new police law would rectify this situation and allow for the Office to be placed under the authority of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, to which it would report directly. 58. Reform of the Haitian police service remains a key concern for the international community, and the independent expert has made this issue a priority both in his work in Port-au-Prince and in his meetings with the Group of Friends of Haiti in New York. 59. In each of its resolutions on the renewal of the MINUSTAH mandate, the Security Council stresses the importance of reform of the National Police (HNP), which will be one of the factors in the decision to withdraw MINUSTAH from the country. The last time that the Council considered the report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Haiti,10 the decision was taken to support the “objectives and commitments reflected in the joint drafting of 2012–2016 HNP Development Plan”.11 The Security Council also underlined “the need to ensure adequate budgetary support from the Government of Haiti and donors in order to achieve a minimum of 15,000 fully operational serving police officers by 2016, adequate logistic and administrative capacity, accountability and respect for human rights and rule of law, a robust vetting process, enhanced recruitment procedures and training, with an emphasis on specialized units”.12 60. The reform plan adopted by the Haitian Government and negotiated with MINUSTAH is very ambitious but can meet the challenges of enabling Haiti to address all its security needs and of meeting a target of at least 15,000 fully operational police officers by 2016. The independent expert welcomes the decision taken in the framework of the strategy to deploy newly trained police officers across the country and to ensure that all 570 communal sections are covered by the police deployment plan. 61. Police vetting. In his previous reports, the independent expert frequently stressed the importance of completing the vetting process, which is a certification procedure undertaken jointly by the National Police and the United Nations police. The independent expert expressed concern that the Haitian Government might shrink from taking the difficult and sometimes politically dangerous decision to dismiss police officers who do not meet democratic policing standards. He therefore welcomes the decision of the Haitian authorities to dismiss 79 police officers found guilty of corruption,13 including several senior officers and police chief inspectors.14 The vetting process must be brought to a successful conclusion, however. This would send a strong and clear signal to Haitian police officers of all ranks that their conduct must be exemplary. The certification process should 10 11 12 13 14 GE.13-10672 S/2012/678. S/2012/743. Ibid. The independent expert obtained a copy of the documents explaining the grounds for the dismissal of these 79 officers: “False testimony and use of false testimony; abandonment of post; armed robbery; assault; rape; participation in drug trafficking; and presentation of falsified secondary school certificates (baccalauréat), among others.” Although the independent expert welcomes the decision taken by the country’s highest authorities, he regrets that the list of names of the police officers who were dismissed was published in the press before the decision was communicated to some of the police officers concerned. 11