Post Conflict People

Elizabeth Laird Robyn Warburton Chiara Brunelli Chibuye Ngosa

Goals and Objectives

Post Conflict People is an independent association founded by Andy Bearpark, Penny Beels and Iain King. It claims to work:

- to revive societies suffering from recent or on-going conflicts and to improve the lives of the people affected by conflict;

- to improve the practical performance of governments, international agencies, firms and individuals that work in post-conflict situations;

- to offer advice and produce authoritative reports that are respected and heeded. The fundamental problem is that “State Building” takes time – but the international community, and indeed the affected population, want quick results. The two are simply incompatible. The way in which the international community usually addresses this is to place more emphasis on what it is doing and less on building functioning institutions. By the time it is clear that the institutions are not functioning donor interest has frequently moved on. There are three particular problems with which Post Conflict People try to deal: security, development instruments and reality checks.

Links to Private Security/Military Industry

The British Association of Private Security Companies (BAPSC) was launched in February 2006 by leading members of the private security industry under the chairmanship of Andrew Bearpark. According to its charter its mission is:

to promote, enhance and regulate the interests and activities of UK-based firms and companies that provide armed security services in countries outside the UK and to represent the interests and activities of Members in matters of proposed or actual legislation.

The charter further states that:

The Association determines that it can only achieve its objectives through effective self-regulation and transparent engagement with UK Government departments and relevant International Organisations. The Association believes that it is only through effective self-regulation that the Members will enhance their position and be able to achieve differentiation from non Members in the same industry sector.

Activities

At the second BAPSC conference at the Royal Geographical Society in December 2007 one unnamed delegate highlighted the reasons behind the governments employment of private military companies: "Private security companies are not subject to political considerations in the same way conventional armies are. Plus you don't necessarily have to flag up money you spend on hiring mercenaries. It doesn't necessarily appear in the official defence budget," he said. "Most importantly, if a private security contractor is killed on active duty, you don't get any body bag pictures on the front pages. That means no bad publicity for the government". A number of speakers at the conference, including Sir Malcolm Rifkin following complaints by NGOs, called for governmental regulation of private security companies. . Further, Bob Shepherd an ex-SAS soldier and security advisor has suggested that allowing BAPSC to self regulate is "tantamount to allowing Afghan drug traffickers to police the boarder with Pakistan". [2]

Ironically, Sir Malcolm Rifkin, who was formerly the UK Foreign Secretary, is chairman of Armour Group.

By January 2009 Erinysalso suspended its BAPSC membership siteing the need for Government clarity on the regulatory framework for British Private Security Companies.[3] In addition to this War on Want (WAW) provides evidence regarding the need for regulation of private security companies (PSCs) in its recent critical report of the killings and human rights abuses by PSCs in Iraq. A trophy video on WAWs web site shows mercenaries from British company Aegis Defence Services(ADS) systematically shooting at civilian cars in Baghdad . ADS is also known as Aegis Specialist Risk Management (ASRM) was founded by former Scots Guard Tim Spicer who was named in the Sandline Affair for his involvement in the exportation of 30 tons of arms to Sierra Leone which was in violation of the UN weapons embargo. He was also arrested in 1997 for his involvement in an abortive coup in Papua New Guinea. Spicer's former Sandline business partner ex-SAS officer Simon Mann was also arrested in 2004 for his attempt at facilitating a coup in Equatorial Guinea . According to Andy Bearpark in 2007 the Iraq boom for the private security industries was in its final stages: "It will not be the same again,...The $8bn (£9bn) the US paid out for Iraqi construction will not be repeated," he said. However, by September huge profits were on the horizon again as the US Pentagon renewed a three year contract with Aegis which was worth a staggering $475m . In November 2007 US Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur heavily criticised the Aegis contract, at a House Committee hearing. She stated: "I will say this, both in closed door meetings and in public, I have yet to find a person other than the auditor, who is able to shed any light on how it was that Aegis, a foreign corporation, was given a contract where now we have the second-largest force in Iraq, larger than the Brits, headed by someone named Tim Spicer. Who signed that contract, and what are those 20,000 people doing, many of whom are foreign mercenaries? What are they doing? Why can't I get any answers out of our Government? What is happening inside the Department of Defence? What are those people doing over there? The last answer I got was, well Congresswoman, youll have to go over to Central Command over in Baghdad. OK, I'll go, but why can't I get answers on that as a member of this committee?"

G4S currently holds the Home Office contract for a number of immigration detention centres in the UK and has recently been criticised for a number of human rights abuses against asylum seekers in their care. Many of whom are escaping the ravages of violent conflict in their own countries. While being deported Jimmy Mubenga, aged 46, died on a British Airways flight about to depart for Angola. Three G4S civilian security guards have been arrested in connection with his death. In G4S-run Tinley House an 11 year old girl who was arrested, became so traumatised that she attempted to strangle herself. In addition to this, in March this year a G4S manager was sentenced to a 40 week suspended jail term for assualting a 13 year old boy in his care. The boy's buttocks were severely injured through being dragged across a tarmacked court and up a flight of stairs. Despite this evidence the home office has renewed G4S contract until 2012.

Public Disclosure of Misconduct by Armour Group North America. In September 2009, the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) produced a critical report of gross negligence and inappropriate conduct by a significant number personnel of Armour Group North America (AGNA) who were contracted by the US Department of State (DOS) to protect the US embassy in Kabul. This included accounts of hazing, sexual misconduct and drunkenness that led to the "complete distrust of leadership and the breakdown of the chain of command" The report highlights the fact that there were an insufficient number of guards and that Afghan staff were also being victimised. Despite these failing the DOS renewed the companies contract with an option to extend to 2012.

British Association of Private Security Companies Conference

London - Tuesday, 20 October 2009

Ex-British defence and home secretary John Reid - now group consultant to G4S, including ArmorGroup, which is hired by the UK government in Afghanistan - addresses the annual conference of the British Association of Private Security Companies

Democracy & Security International Conference

In 2005 King attended the Neocon International event in Prague,the Democracy and Security International Conference also known as the “Democracy and Security: Core Values and Sound Policies” conference was held in Prague on the 5-6th of June, overlapping the 2007 G8 summit in Heiligendamm . Another participant at this conference was Jamie Shea who is a former British journalist turned NATO propagandist. He later became Director of Policy Planning in the Private Office of the Secretary General responsible for advising and assisting the Secretary General, senior NATO management, and the Council in addressing strategic issues facing the Alliance .

Personnel

The independent NGO Post conflict People was founded by Andy Bearpark, Penny Beels and Iain King.

Andy Bearpark is also the Director General of the British Association of Private Security Companies (BAPSC) along with Penny Beels who is the Deputy Director General to this company. In 2009 BAPSC had incorporated 6 full members including; Aegis Defence Services, Armour Group, G4S Risk Management, International PLC, Control risks Group, Janusian Security Risk Management and the Olive Group. In addition to these, it had 15 provisional members and 13 associate members. . BAPSC claims to be "aware that there is a need for internationally recognised standards of governance for the international operations of PSCs, BAPSC is working with Government and the industry to ensure best practice in the standards of operation of its members" . BAPSC was originally founded as a number of UK private security firms realised that standards of operation needed to be raised whilst advocating self regulation. The demand for security services overseas has led to it becoming a new and ever expanding industry. PSC's now have a compulsory role to play in post conflict reconstruction, nation building and security sector reform as well as providing their traditional services to the private sector. The directors Andy Bearpark and Penny Beels have been integral to the formation of the BAPSc from the very beginning . Andy Bearpark together with Penny Beels appear to play a seemingly contradictory role within the Post Conflict People organisation. Where BAPSC are watching over the practice of PSC's who initially in their traditional practice went into conflict areas to enact in the role of combat and protection, PCP involves the restructuring of these areas after combat and upheaval has subsided. Essentially Bearpark and Beels are partly responsible for the disruption and then the rebuilding of these conflict areas.

Bearpark began his career in public service in 1973 with the Overseas Development Administration(ODA), where he spent thirteen years running numerous development programmes in Asisa and Africa. From 1986 to 1989, he served as Private Secretary to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, where he was responsible for Home Affairs and then progressed to Parliamentary Affairs. From 1991 to 1997 he was Head of the Information and Emergency Aid Departments of the Overseas Development Administration. During this period he ran all UK Governement emergency relief operations, he was also Press Secretary to the ODA Minister Barones Chalker during 1991 to 1995. In 1998 Bearpark was based in Sarajevo where he served as Deputy High Representative in the Office of the High Representative (OHR)and took on the Reconstruction and Return Task Force until 2000. During 2000 to 2003, Bearpark took the position of Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General in charge if the EU Pillar of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo where he oversaw the province's reconstruction and economic development. Before his currnet position at BAPSC, he served as Director of Operations and Infrastructure for the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq .

Penny Beels career began in 1973 as a governmetn servant in the security defence sector. She joined Control Risks in 1978 where helped set up their Information Service that provided the private sector with up-to-date information in formulating their business strategy abroad especially in hostile areas. She then moved to their office in Washington DC to help develop their opportunitites in the Americas returning in 1982 as Executive Assistant to the Managing Director and their main board. In 1983 she left the security sector to establish a picture framing and gallery business, later to return to the defence sctor in 1994. On her return she worked for Defence Systems Ltd establishing their Special Projects Department to provide security assistance to International Agencies and Humanitarian Projects in post conflict areas. She provided the management for the first EU contract in Bosnia and Herzegovina providing mine clearance training after working alongside the Chairmen and CEO of Defence Systems Ltd. She was recrutied by the FCO in 1997 to join the UK Presidency of the EU Monitoring Mission and spent two years working in the Balkans, including the period of the crisis in Kosovo where she reported on the political developments and teh social security situation. In 1999 she joined the Cabinet of the High Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina where she was expected to oversee the social problems of refugee return and reconstruction. During this time period she worked closely with Andy Bearpark. In 2001 she assisted in the coordination of th handover of the High Representative to Lord Ashdown and moved to Brussels to manage his representative office as EU Special Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina .

Iain King (born 1971) is founder of Post Conflict People and a 'civilian stabilisation advisor'. He was formerly Director of Programmes at the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. King worked for UNMIK from April 2000 to December 2003. He spent 2003 as head of planning for the United Nations Mission in Kosovo.[3] Since 2004 he has been the director of programs at the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. [4][5] In 2005 King attended the Neocon International event in Prague the Democracy and Security International Conference

Connections

With Government

Jamie Shea (Conference: 'Strategic Communication in Countries Emerging from Violent Conflict' 24-25 June 2009)

Alister Campbell (Conference: 'Strategic Communication in Countries Emerging from Violent Conflict'24-25 June 2009)

MOD (Conference: 'Strategic Communication in Countries Emerging from Violent Conflict'24-25 June 2009)

EU (Conference: 'Strategic Communication in Countries Emerging from Violent Conflict'24-25 June 2009)

United Nations (Conference: 'Strategic Communication in Countries Emerging from Violent Conflict'24-25 June 2009)

NATO (Conference: 'Strategic Communication in Countries Emerging from Violent Conflict'24-25 June 2009)

Edward Mortimer (Conference: 'Strategic Communication in Countries Emerging from Violent Conflict'24-25 June 2009)

AMISOM (Conference: 'Strategic Communication in Countries Emerging from Violent Conflict'24-25 June 2009)

UNAMA (Conference: 'Strategic Communication in Countries Emerging from Violent Conflict'24-25 June 2009)

UNRWA (Conference: 'Strategic Communication in Countries Emerging from Violent Conflict'24-25 June 2009)

General Sir Michael Jackson (Conference: 'Strategic Communication in Countries Emerging from Violent Conflict'24-25 June 2009)

With Industry

Albany Associates Ltd (Conference:Strategic Communications in Countries Emerging from Violent Conflict’ 24-25 June 2009)

Portland PR (Conference:Strategic Communications in Countries Emerging from Violent Conflict’ 24-25 June 2009)

Bell Pottinger (Conference: 'Strategic Communication in Countries Emerging from Violent Conflict'24-25 June 2009)

Chime Communications (Bell Pottinger)