 Reformation of the Afghan National Police (ANP) officially began in 2003 when Germany was identified as the lead nation for police training. On July 12, 2005, the NATO Trainging Mission-Afghanistan / Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan (NTM-A/CSTC-A) officially assumed the lead role on behalf of the U.S. Government in the reformation of the ANP. The concept of an International Police Coordination Board, with the purpose of coordinating the efforts of all countries contributing to the reformation of the Ministry of Interior and the ANP was developed in 2006 and implemented in early 2007. In June 2007, the European Union began their European Union Police Mission. The intent of EUPOL is to work collaboratively on police reform, under the auspices of the IPCB, with NTM-A/CSTC-A and the ANP. The goal of the reformation is to develop an effective, well organized, multi-ethnic and professional police force that provides the people of Afghanistan a stable rule of law.
During the spring of 2007, the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board representing the international community and in partnership with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan approved increasing the ANP end-strength to 82,000. As of March 15, 2009, there are more than 80,000 positions, 96 percent of their authorized end strength have been filled. The Ministry of the Interior expects to reach the 82,000 goal by December 2009.
In late 2007, the Ministry of the Interior began the Focused District Development program, an effort to further reform the Afghanistan Uniformed Police, while simultaneously achieving improvements in local governance, public works, and elements of the Rule of Law. FDD allows the MoI to take a more focused approach toward assessing, training, mentoring, and validating the uniformed district police. Focused District Development is now in full swing, and is NTM-A/CSTC-A's main effort with the police.
The ANP consists of the following different police organizations:
Uniformed Police
Border Police
Civil Order Police
Counter Narcotics Police
Criminal Investigation Police
Counter Terrorism Police
The Uniformed Police are the single largest police element with more than 40,000 positions. They are responsible for general law enforcement, public safety and internal security throughout the provinces and districts of Afghanistan. The Afghan Border Police, with an authorized strength of 17,000, are responsible for patrolling Afghanistan’s borders, conducting counter-smuggling operations, and managing immigration.
The Civil Order Police is responsible for responding to civil disturbances in large urban areas and patrolling in high threat areas. The Civil Order Police, when fully manned will have nearly 5,000 police assigned.
There are three other police organizations, smaller and with more specialized missions. The Counter Narcotics Police are responsible for the elimination of production and the trafficking of illicit drugs. The Criminal Investigation Division Police investigate a wide range of criminal offenses. The Counter Terrorism Police are responsible for conducting counter-insurgency operations.
Entry level training for the ANP is conducted at the Central Training Center in Kabul or at one of seven Regional Training Centers located in Kandahar, Herat, Gardez, Mazar-e-Sharif, Konduz, Jalalabad, and Bamyan. Trainees attend an eight-week program of instruction in the following areas: general police duties, weapons proficiency, first aid, human rights training, community policing, basic border police training, and Afghan law and culture. They conduct specialized training courses in bomb disposal, fingerprinting, traffic management, unarmed combat, crime scene investigation, advanced firearms instruction, and civil order/riot control skills.
The National Police Academy, under the management and supervision of EUPOL, conducts a comprehensive three-year training program for officers and a nine-month program for noncommissioned officers. Training at the National Police Academy consists of police operations, tactics, traffic policing, management, and criminology.
The ANP operates with the Afghan National Army as well as alongside United States and Coalition forces in the fight against those who would cause harm to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. One example of this joint cooperation was during the democratic elections in 2008. Together, the Afghanistan Security Forces ensured a safe and secure environment for the Afghan people to exercise their right to vote in the first democratic parliamentary elections held in their country in more than 30 years.
The ANP has also achieved success with its special counternarcotics training program with destruction of numerous illegal drug labs throughout Afghanistan The ANP have also been instrumental in discovering and destroying many improvised explosive devices.
Afghanistan’s police force continues to mature as its capabilities improve and its capacity grows in terms of personnel, training, infrastructure, and equipment.
Prepared by NTM-A/CSTC-A Public Affairs Mar. 15, 2009.
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