Kabul/Brussels, 18 December 2008: Corruption and lack of political will in Afghanistan have prevented the comprehensive police reform which is essential to combating lawlessness and popular disillusionment.

Policing in Afghanistan: Still Searching for a Strategy,* the latest briefing from the International Crisis Group, examines the difficulties of professionalising the Afghan National Police (ANP). Despite greater international attention to the sector over the last year than ever before, efforts have not been matched by effects.

“The population is crying out for law and order amid a perception of rising crime”, says Joanna Nathan, Crisis Group’s Senior Analyst in Afghanistan. “It is only through making people feel safe and bringing criminals to justice that this government will establish legitimacy”.

Enhanced coordination among the different countries involved in the sector, as well as an adequate number of police trainers and mentors, is still lacking. The European Union continues to hold nominal lead for police reform, but it has failed to come up with a comprehensive approach to unify efforts. It is dwarfed by the U.S., which too often views the police as an auxiliary security force.

Too much emphasis is still placed on using the police to fight the insurgency rather than crime. The Afghan National Police (ANP) is ill-equipped for this role and has been targeted by the Taliban, with 1,200 killed in 2007 and a similar toll expected in 2008. The goal of the Afghan government and the international community should be a national police force able to uphold the rule of law, and thereby help tackle the root causes of alienation that drive the insurgency.

The interior ministry, described as a “hub of systemic corruption”, has been at the heart of the sector’s problems, with personal enrichment trumping merit in the appointments process and systemic resistance to real reform. An accountable, trusted police service can only be achieved with a serious commitment to tackle corruption. Recent leadership changes are positive and should be used to send a clear signal that abuses will not be tolerated.

“There has been little political will in Kabul or foreign capitals to tackle the powerbrokers who are preventing reform”, says Samina Ahmed, Crisis Group’s South Asia Project Director. “Organised crime and lawlessness lie at the heart of much popular disillusionment and instability. Better law enforcement, including a functioning judicial system, would help counter any appeal the insurgents may hold in Afghanistan”.