CHAPTER THREE: DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL GOVERNANCE 218. Civil and political rights. The CRM welcomes the fact that the restoration of peace and national reconciliation is accompanied by a formal reaffirmation of the civil and political rights guaranteed under the Constitution and several other laws. Nonetheless, the national tragedy has profoundly marked collective and individual consciousness, instilling fears and inhibitions that should ease with time. Algerians have had little opportunity to speak to each other and the fear of a return to violence and insecurity remains ever present. This no doubt explains the state‟s fairly strict control of the expression of certain freedoms in order to prevent or contain any extremism, such as state control over mosques, associations, political parties, trade unions, media access and the monopoly over television, even if there are foreign broadcast stations. This could be seen as an infringement of the individual and collective rights of citizens. Good Practice 3: The neighbourhood police, a prudential force In order to put an end to the terrorism experienced in the 1990s, the General Department of National Security (DGSN) established a specialised neighbourhood police unit of the Security Forces in 1997. This structure, tasked with bringing police action closer to the citizens, is characterised by decentralised prerogatives and resources in exchange for a permanent and efficient police force. To increase the efficiency of police action, the DGSN proceeded to increase the numbers of neighbourhood police by recruiting and training officers and managers in the protection of human rights and fundamental liberties, as well as in the prevention of crime in an urban context. A large proportion of the recruits are women. Over 5000 women, representing 5 per cent of the national security staff, carry out the duties of the neighbourhood police. Over and above their mediation skills, their presence in this security structure not only gives the police force a human dimension, but also increases its efficiency insofar as these female officers manage to gain access to environments generally considered inaccessible to the police and to gather information on family violence, drugs and sexual services. This development of neighbourhood police around specific security needs has enabled the country to reverse terrorism significantly, at least in urban areas, and to eliminate its bases. In order to ensure that it has the resources necessary to carry this laudable project to a successful conclusion, the DGSN is extending its pilot projects to the wilaya of Alger, while at the same time establishing light mobile units to ensure permanent and efficient police action, which is the principal mission of the neighbourhood police. This experiment was extended in 2006 to all the urban police stations in the 416 existing national units. The aim was to prepare them for the new mission of ―Urban Neighbourhood Police‖, which will be further extended in 2008/2009. Arising from specific conditions, and not from a desire to imitate a security unit that has shown its effectiveness elsewhere, the Algerian neighbourhood police has the advantage of using human and material resources appropriate to its activities. This means that it will not be subject to the same criticism frequently made against similar structures in other countries. 81