United Kingdom-led Security Sector Reform in Sierra Leone

The UK's work in reforming security institutions in Sierra Leone is widely held as representing an example of successful SSR. Basic capacity and public trust has been restored in politicized and debilitated police and military institutions. It provided much needed confidence to people who no longer had faith in their own security institutions, and it created the stable, secure environment in which SSR could take place. This article offers the personal impressions and reflections of individuals actively involved in police and military reform. Three themes and policy dilemmas emerge from Sierra Leone's experience: the disconnection between policy and practice in the process; the difficulty of managing a process of comprehensive reform; and the question of sustainablity.