Conflict and security
Policing in Afghanistan: still searching for a strategy
How can police reforms in Afghanistan be effective?
Authors:
; International Crisis Group
Publisher:
International Crisis Group , 2008
This paper is an assessment of the police reforms in Afghanistan and its impacts. The paper says that police reform is receiving more attention and resources than ever before, but such increased efforts are still yet to be matched by significant improvements in police effectiveness and public confidence. Too much emphasis has continued to be placed on using the police to fight the insurgency rather than crime. Corruption and political appointments are derailing attempts to professionalise the force. The government and the international community need to reinforce the International Policing Coordination Board (IPCB) as the central forum for prioritising efforts and drive forward with much greater unity of effort.
The paper states that despite these shortcomings, there is renewed hope. Changes of personnel at the top provide a chance for fresh impetus in setting goals and driving implementation. The paper suggests that there is, above all, a pressing need for an improved strategic focus across the security and rule-of-law sectors, ensuring police reform takes place within larger state-building efforts, including:
- Clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of the different security organs – the police, the military and the intelligence agencies
- Parallel reform and links with prosecutors' offices and the justice sector
- Public outreach and consultation with civil society, including women's organisations, about the shape of policing and the creation of civilian accountability mechanisms
- Moving past security-oriented, militaristic notions of policing to include community-policing efforts that build community trust and credibility.
