The paper outlines the way this assistance has developed and discusses the rationale underlying policies. It also examines the difficulties involved in promoting and supporting implementation of forms of policing that seek both to achieve greater police-community partnership and to fulfill the wider policy objectives of the Department for International Development, namely democratization, enhancement of human rights and elimination of poverty. Despite some successes in rebuilding police forces in post-conflict situations, the overall objectives of achieving greater protection for the poor and vulnerable have been undermined by treating the police in isolation from other parts of the justice system and by the failure to develop inclusive, working partnerships with civil society. In turn, this is likely to involve a more inclusive and proactive approach to policing, equity and justice, and a recognition that pro-poor policing may divert resources away from more traditional areas of police activity and from the protection of wealthy or dominant groups. Notes