African Police Resource Network

Mauritius

Country Background

Although known to Arab and Malay sailors as early as the 10th century, Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in 1505; it was subsequently held by the Dutch, French, and British before independence was attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, the country has attracted considerable foreign investment and has earned one of Africa's highest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather and declining sugar prices have slowed economic growth, leading to some protests over standards of living in the Creole community.

Extract from:

The World Factbook

Please find a list of all documents in our database relevant to Mauritius. Use the checkbox next to each line to expand more detail about the file, including the option to download.

Category	Date	Title	Detail
Publications	2005	'In Defence of the "Star and Key" of the Indian Ocean: A Contemporary History of the Mauritian Police Force'
Description: This chapter in Rupiya, M (ed) "Evolutions and Revolutions: A Contemporary History of Militaries in Southern Africa" seeks to provide an understanding of the context of the security and defence challenges that faced Mauritius on the eve of independence, and how the state responded then and afterwards. Author: Rupiya, M Publisher: Pretoria: Institute for Security Studies. Source: http://www.iss.org.za/pubs/Books/Evol_Revol%20Oct%2005/Contents.htm
Publications	2004	Mauritius Crime Survey 2004
Description: This Crime Trend Study aimed to: –Determine the nature and extent of crime in Mauritius –Establish emerging crime trends –Establish how these impact upon policing strategies. The methodology utilized was: –A docket analysis of 2 385 randomly selected police dockets –Interviews with 398 victims identified in the docket analysis –Workshops with law enforcement officials to determine trends in crime across recent years. At these workshops 365 self–administered surveys were completed –A 6 993 opinion survey amongst randomly selected civilians to measure their experience of crime and responses thereto –Focus groups and in–depth interviews to address sensitive victim dynamics. Annexure One of the Study contains the Mauritian crime statistics from 2001 to 2003. Annexure Four provides some basic facts of the Mauritius Police Force. Author: Mauritius Police Force & SaferAfrica Source: http://www.saferafrica.org/DocumentsCentre/Books/Mauritius/contents.php
Publications	2007	Allegations of human rights abuses perpetrated by police in Mauritius during 2006/2007
Description: Since 1996, reports of the following human rights violations by police in Mauritius have arisen: Torture and deaths in custody Lack of medical care in detention Ill–treatment to obtain confessions The use of excessive force in the execution of arrests and during the policing of demonstrations Incommunicado detention, permitted by the 1998 Dangerous Drugs Act and the 2002 Terrorism Act, resulting in gross violations. In 1999 the police established a Complaints Investigation Bureau, which investigates allegations of abuses by officers. A National Human Rights Commission, set up in 2001, oversees its investigations. Despite this, investigations into deaths in police custody by the National Human Rights Commission, the police Complaints Investigation Bureau and the prosecuting authorities have seldom resulted in disciplinary or legal action against police officers. Author: Amnesty International Publisher: Amnesty International Source: http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR030052002?open&of=ENG-BWA
Networks	---	The Mauritius Police Force Website
Description: The official website of The Mauritius Police Force The homepage contains information on the: The Mauritius Police Force – History – Structure – Policing charter (French & English version) – Code of Ethics – ICT in Police Organisation –Branches –Units –Divisions News Room – Safety Driving – Overview of crime in Port Louis – South Division – SMF activities for year 2005 – Crime Prevention Workshop – Advice for swimmers – Comparative Fatal Road Accident for 2006 – Tender Document – Sensitisation Campaign Safety Campaign Online Forms Mission Statement Messages FAQ Contact Details Publisher: The Republic of Mauritius Source: http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/police/menuitem.2c06d25d9d65fff3d0db7010e2b521ca/
Legislation	1998	Protection of Human Rights Act 1998 (No. 19 of 1998).
Description: The aim of the Act is: "To provide for the setting up of a National Human Rights Commission, for the better protection of human rights, for the better investigation of complaints against members of the police force, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto" Author: The Government of the Republic of Mauritius Source: http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/nhrcsite/menuitem.6a46a0254804c86512c7c91048a521ca/
Legislation	1968	Constitution of Mauritius
Description: Appointment in the Disciplined Forces : (1) Subject to section 93, power to appoint persons to hold or act in any office in the disciplined forces (including power to confirm appointments), to exercise disciplinary control over persons holding or acting in such offices and to remove such persons from office shall vest in the Disciplined Forces Service Commission: Provided that appointments to the office of Commissioner of Police shall be made after consultation with the Prime Minister. (2) The Disciplined Forces Service Commission may, subject to such conditions as it thinks fit, by directions in writing delegate any of its powers of discipline or removal from office to the Commissioner of Police or to any other officer of the disciplined forces, but no person shall be removed from office except with the confirmation of the Commission. ´disciplined force´ means – (a) a naval, military or air force; (b) the Police Force; (c) a fire service established by any law in force in Mauritius; or (d) the Mauritius Prison Service; Author: The Government of the Republic of Mauritius Source: http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/AssemblySite/menuitem.ee3d58b2c32c60451251701065c521ca
Country Websites	2007	The World Factbook: Mauritius
Description: Uptodate information giving an overview of the country, its geography, demographics, government, economy, communications, transportation and military. A map is included. Author: Central Intelligence Agency Source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mp.html
Country Websites	2007	The Portal of the Republic of Mauritius
Description: "The Government Web Portal is a one–stop–shop providing comprehensive information and delivering integrated services round–the–clock. It is made up of four sub–portals, namely, Citizen, Government, Non–citizen and Business." CITIZEN The Citizen Sub–Portal is a gateway dedicated to providing information and services to the citizens in an integrated and timely manner. GOVERNMENT The Government Sub–Portal provides comprehensive information on the Government services. It is also a gateway for Government employees to access the various online services. NON–CITIZEN The Non–Citizen Sub–Portal is a platform which enables interactions between non–citizens and the Government. It provides information to foreigners, tourists and potential foreign investors, amongst others. BUSINESS The Business Sub–Portal provides tailor–made information and services to the business community, with the aim of eliminating administrative bottlenecks and reducing processing time. Source: http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/Mainhomepage/menuitem.cc515006ac7521ae3a9dbea5e2b521ca/