Afghanistan Police Program
Encyclopedia
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
Police Program is an US-funded program, designed to train and equip part of the Afghan National Police
Afghan National Police
The Afghan National Police - ANP - is the primary national police force in Afghanistan. It serves as a single law enforcement agency all across the country. The Afghan police force was first created with the establishment of the Afghan nation in the early 18th century...
(ANP).
Overview
At a Geneva conference on Afghanistan security in April 2002, the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and other donor countries agreed to support the rebuilding of the security forces in post-Taliban Afghanistan. They established a “five pillars” approach, each to be led by a different nation. The United States took the lead to build the Afghan National Army
Afghan National Army
The Afghan National Army is a service branch of the military of Afghanistan, which is currently trained by the coalition forces to ultimately take the role in land-based military operations in Afghanistan. , the Afghan National Army is divided into seven regional Corps. The strength of the Afghan...
(ANA). Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
took the lead for the police sector. The other pillars are the justice system (Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), counternarcotics (Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
), and disarmament of illegal armed groups (Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
).
The program calls for building the Afghan National Police by requiring a comprehensive, integrated approach that encompasses leadership training, sustaining institutions and organizations, and oversight and internal control mechanisms. It has rapidly evolved beyond police readiness requirements and training to include sweeping institutional reform of the ANP through the Ministry of Interior.
Program goals
The intended end state of the U.S.-funded ANP is an effective, well-organized, professional, multiethnic national police force that is trained and equipped to provide a safe and secure environment for the people of Afghanistan and a force committed to the rule of law. The ANP need to be led well, paid decent salaries, and trained and equipped to carry out their assigned security and law and order missions. The program’s goal is to establish a self sustainingANP – a police force able to attract and retain qualified candidates and to operate with minimal international assistance.
Training
Processes and systems have been put in place to enhance readiness and improve how police recruits are vetted, paid, assigned, and equipped.Seven Afghan National Policemen graduated the first phase of ANP training, administered by Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team
Provincial reconstruction team
A Provincial Reconstruction Team is a unit introduced by the United States government, consisting of military officers, diplomats, and reconstruction subject matter experts, working to support reconstruction efforts in unstable states. PRTs were first established in Afghanistan in late 2001 or...
(PRT) and DynCorp International
DynCorp International
DynCorp International is a United States-based private military contractor. Begun as an aviation company, the company now also provides air operations support, training and mentoring, international development, intelligence training and support, contingency operations, security, and operations and...
, on March 9 at the Nuristan PRT base of Kala Gush. The success of the program can be measured by the enthusiasm of the officers taking part in the course. A large number of the ANP in Eastern Nuristan Province, both new recruits and seasoned officers alike, will travel upwards
of five hours one way from remote and rugged areas just to receive the training.
According to the Afghan government, approximately 70,000 ANP personnel have received basic training. A target figure of 80,000 police was agreed by the Government of Afghanistan.
Funding
International donors have financed the bulk of the Afghan budget. The Afghan government does not have the revenue to pay its police. The international community has established a mechanism to pay ANP salaries through the Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan, administered by the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
(U.N.) Development Program.
As of May 2006, Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
__FORCETOC__The Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs is a part of the Department of State within the United States government that advises the President, Secretary of State, other bureaux within the Department of State, and other departments and agencies within the U.S...
(INL) funding for the ANP program approximates $1.1 billion for the period FY 2004-2007. Almost all of that funding has gone to the contract with DynCorp International.