What are the National Security Implications of Outsourcing Core Policing Functions to a Foreign Private Entity: A Case Study of the Liberia National Police

This paper, prepared in fulfillment of an academic requirement, does not seek to challenge the rationale behind the Liberian National Police’s (LNP) decision to outsource traffic law enforcement to the Liberia Traffic Management (LTM). Rather, it aims to critically examine the potential national security implications of such a policy decision. Employing a thematic analysis and a comparative case study approach, the study draws on examples from three African countries—South Africa, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe. The analysis is framed by three key theoretical perspectives: realism, liberal institutionalism, and principal-agent theory, each of which provides insights into the complexities of outsourcing core policing functions. While the case studies reveal various challenges associated with privatized core law enforcement functions, this paper does not claim that Liberia will inevitably encounter similar issues. Instead, the identified implications are presented as cautionary forecasts, highlighting potential risks that the Liberian government should anticipate and proactively address to safeguard national security interests.