Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Afghan National Police and Perceptions

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Afghan National Police  and Perceptions

A recent report published by an Afghan research and media organization funded by the United Nations development Program (UNDP) has some interesting insights into how the people's perception of Afghan National Police (ANP) has changed over time. According to the results of a nationwide survey conducted by this Afghan organization, out of more than seven thousand respondents interviewed, around 81% of them had a favorable view of the Afghan National Police.

The survey also points out that corruption is still a major problem but the police forces are improving. The survey has also found out that only around 20% of the respondents believe that the Afghan National Police can maintain order without the presence, help and support of the international troops.

Only less than 25% of the respondents said that the international troops should leave the country. If the results of this survey are accurate and if the surveyors have been able to correctly gauge and analyze the data from the field surveys, then this can be considered as an achievement for a police force which has always been accused of incompetence and corruption.

Barely three years ago we could hardly miss the tide of resentment and dissatisfaction of common people towards the Afghan National Police forces. But questions regarding the accuracy and reliability of this survey aside, over the past three years, we can see a marked improvement in Afghan National Police in terms of the organizational discipline, professionalism, commitment and the quality of the new recruits who join the ranks of the national police force.

The controversial issue has been the Afghan Local Police (ALP). The ALP program was approved by the government of Afghanistan in 2010 and since then thousands of local people have been organized as local police forces at the village and local levels within a program being run by the U.S.-led NATO forces under the name of Village Stability Operations.

One component of the Village Stability Operations is establishment of local police force at the village level who are made up of local young men. Afghan Local Police units at every village undergo the compulsory 30-day training period before they are armed and deployed in their local areas.

The ALP, unlike the ANP, does not have the authority to make any arrests but act as the first line of actual defense against primarily Taliban and other militant groups. Their second utility is upholding the law and order in their local areas.

The ALP, no doubt, has been the hotbed of controversies. The force has often been accused of wrongdoings and many quarters have been raising their concerns and demanding the dissolution of the forces. The Ministry of Interior and the U.S.-led NATO forces, however, regard Afghan Local Police as an effective bulwark against infiltration of insurgents into the areas which have been cleared or are vulnerable to their threats. Afghan Local Police (ALP) is scheduled to be phased out within a few years as soon as the conditions are conducive for the Afghan National Police to take their place.

But developing the Afghan National Police and making these forces capable enough to uphold law and order in the post-2014 Afghanistan is the overarching goal that is essential to the long-term strategic plans of the government of Afghanistan and the international community. Problems abound on the way to developing the forces.

Aside from corruption, illiteracy is still a major problem with a significant segment of the recruits not able to read and write. While illiteracy is a major challenge, another challenge is maintaining a balanced ethnic composition of the forces. Like the Afghan National Army that suffers from ethnic imbalance, the national police too needs to be further balanced in order successfully integrate into their areas of presence and operation.

The current strength of the Afghan National Police is at slightly above 140,000. The plans are already underway to further expand the number of the recruits. Balancing between quantity and quality is another major challenge.

In the past, efforts to increase the number of the recruits within a short period of time have proved destabilizing as the recruits remained under-trained and under-motivated. This is a major challenge especially on the road to 2014 when the support of the international community will be much less than it is today. Currently, the police recruits undergo a training period of six weeks which is insufficient for the challenging task of making professional police officers out of ordinary Afghan young men.   

In the run-up to 2014, it is essential that the recruitment and training of the Police forces be further scrutinized and made more vigorous. This still would not make up for the more difficult task of instilling a sense of professional integrity and ethical conduct into the new recruits most of whom join the Police forces as a last resort when they give up on all other options in their lives. Maintaining a decent level of pay and salary is, obviously, another precondition for developing a capable and service-minded police force.  

As the size and the numbers of Afghan National Police gradually expands, besides concerns regarding who will pay for this force and how beyond 2014, incorporating the police force into a major force that can keep the Taliban and other insurgents away and provide for the rule of law and order is a momentous challenge.

The government of Afghanistan would still need many more years of assistance and aid in order to maintain and pay for the current level of police forces. The European Union and some individual European countries will continue providing assistance.

A strategic agreement soon to be signed with the European Union envisions continued support to the Afghan National Police after 2014. This is necessary for the government of Afghanistan since without their support, maintaining the police forces will be an impossible task. The European Union has been operating a police mission to Afghanistan which has been providing training and assistance. In any likelihood, the operation of this police mission should be extended for some more years beyond 2014 as a major pillar of the EU's assistance to Afghanistan.

The author is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at outlook afghanistan@gmail.com

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