Drive to improve Afghan police

By Pam O'Toole
BBC regional analyst

Afghanistan's interior minister has said his government will intensify the training of Afghan police and border guards as part of its effort to create a disciplined, nationwide non-partisan force.

Afghan has set to establish an effective, national police force

Ali Ahmad Jalali told reporters in Kabul that the current force was unable to cope with the security challenges they would face over the coming year, including providing security for a grand national assembly in October and elections next year.

The announcement followed allegations from the New York-based group Human Rights Watch earlier this week that Afghan soldiers and police themselves were responsible for a variety of violent crimes.

Mr Jalali said his government would set up centres to train both new recruits and thousands of serving police and border guards with no previous training.

He said he hoped that about half of the existing forces would receive training in the next year.

Loyalty

Defence experts, however, are sceptical.

They point to a variety of problems, ranging from a lack of equipment to a shortfall in the amount of international aid earmarked to support law and order projects in Afghanistan.

"Most people who join the security forces feel a loyalty to one or another of the factions in Afghanistan and in some cases to people who we would describe as warlords," says Michael Clarke, director of the International Policy Institute at Kings College in London.

Kabul insists that the new police will not belong to any Afghan faction, and will be loyal to the central government.

Earlier this week Human Rights Watch alleged that Afghan police and soldiers were guilty of committing widespread crimes including rapes, beatings, extortion and hostage taking.

It said that in the few places where more professional, newly trained police officers from Kabul were deployed, these officers were unable to stand up to better-armed and more numerous troops.