An EU official suggested an SSR programme to high Lebanese officials, but they were not interested. "Thanks, we're fine on that count. What we really need is a forensic lab. Can you help us with that?" The man from the EU said he would pass on that request. But he added: "A lab is useless if the evidence it gets has been contaminated. Maybe your police first need to learn how to manage crime scenes." The Lebanese agreed. This led to an entry point for SSR.
The lesson as I see it is that it pays to emphasise concrete improvements in the delivery of security and justice services, rather than structural reforms.
