Police secretariat set up to build public trust

KABUL): The Ministry of Interior on Tuesday announced the establishment of a Community Police Secretariat aimed at building trust between police and the public, officials said.

The secretariat would help boost public confidence in police and encourage the force to serve the nation in a better way, deputy interior minister, Lt. Gen. Abdur Rahman Rahman, told the inaugural ceremony.    

“We live in a country where war has forced police into fighting rebels and forgetting about their real job, which is law enforcement, fighting crime and serving people,” he said, blaming the current situation for the gap between police and people.

“Our police have been unable to fulfill their core responsibilities due to the three decades of war and terrorism,” Rahman said, calling the secretariat one of the ministry’s initiatives toward professionalism and improving the police image.

The secretariat, a joint venture of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan, was set up in Kabul and a pilot Community Policing Pillar launched in some districts.

“The project is being implemented in 65 districts of several provinces, where Afghan security forces have assumed the security responsibility,” said the head of Law and Order Trust Fund of Afghanistan (LOTFA), Ghulam Ali Wahdat.

Also present at the ceremony was UNDP country director, Alvaro Rodrigus, who said they had long been helping the Ministry of Interior to introduce a professional and accountable police force.

UPOL Deputy Head of Mission, Geoffrey Cooper, hailed the body an important step toward professionalism. He said the programme would also help bridge the gap between police and public. He asked police to cooperate with the people, judiciary and other state organs.  

NATO Training Mission Afghanistan Assistant Kelly Thomas said they were working with the interior ministry to make the police force more professional. “The Afghan National Police are enforcing laws and have a strong sense of responsibility.”

mm/frm/ma/mud