BRUSSELS, May 14 (Reuters) - The European Union backed plans on Monday to send a mission to Afghanistan from next month to help train local police and overhaul a judicial system hit by widespread corruption.

Defence ministers in Brussels agreed to deploy a force built around 160 police officers for tasks ranging from basic recruit training to tutoring of senior Afghan commanders on criminal investigations and support for border control.

The operation is due to start work from June 15, EU officials said after the meeting.

Rampant corruption, often linked to the huge Afghan opium trade, is cited by analysts as a major factor undermining the rule of the government of President Hamid Karzai.

So far, Germany has been helping train Afghan police, using about 40 experts and Italy has been assisting judicial reform efforts. NATO and others urged the EU to expand the effort.

"This mission represents a major contribution to establishing a professional police sector in Afghanistan," EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said in a statement.

"We must be patient and show determination," he added.

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