Vision & Mission

Ten-Year Vision for the Afghan National Police: 1392-1402

Direction and Objectives of the Vision

Within ten years the Afghan National Police (ANP) will become a unified, capable, and trustworthy civilian police service. Its primary responsibility will be to enforce the rule of law; maintain public order and security; detect and fight crimes; control borders; protect the rights, assets and freedoms of both Afghans and foreigners in Afghanistan according to national laws; and operate without ethnic, gender, language or religious discrimination. By pursuing the principles and objectives of the peace and reintegration program, which is based on the decisions of the 2-4 June 2010 Consultative Jirga, and creating a lawful society, the ANP will pave the way for sustainable peace and socio- economic development of Afghanistan. It will be a unified and flexible force allowing personnel in the different police pillars of the ANP to transfer from one to the other when necessary, and winning public confidence by the use of community policing approaches to deliver policing services to the people of Afghanistan.

The purpose of this ten-year vision is to describe the status we want the ANP to have achieved in ten years, and to specify both the strategic and long-term objectives of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) for the continuing development of the ANP, and the degree of restructuring that will be necessary for the improved performance of police duties and responsibilities. The vision will give the Afghan public a clear view of the future of policing, and officials of the various MoI departments will be able to use it to determine their relevant operational and tactical- level objectives, and to develop their operational plans.

In order to ensure implementation of this vision within the proposed time, this document will be supported by a series of two-year police plans that will contain the details of the programs and strategies required for achieving this vision. Necessary changes in structures of MOI will be made in accordance, and for realizing, this vision.

The ten-year vision is based on such legislative and directive documents as the Afghan Constitution, National Development Strategy, National Priority Programs, National Security and Inter-ministerial Strategy, and the Afghan Police Law. Suggestions from working groups have also been considered together with higher-level national objectives, the present and future security needs of the country, notions of good governance, and the legitimate wishes of the Afghan people.

Civilian and Community Policing

The civilian policing mentioned in the Chicago Agreement of May 2012, is concerned with traditional policing activities such as enforcing the rule of law, maintaining law and order on the streets and protecting human safety. The police performing these activities could be either in uniform or plain clothes according to the regulations or job specifications of the various police departments. Over the last ten years the police have been used to fight insurgency, which has confused their role and functions. Now the vision of the Ministry of Interior is to return police to the traditional duties they perform under the Afghan Police Law and to cease their participation in combat operations that require heavy weapons.

When the police perform their duties of enforcing the rule of law and maintaining public order in close cooperation with the public and other civil and social agencies, in an effort to achieve stable communities and serve the people, they are engaging in what is called community policing. Community policing is not a separate branch of the ANP but an approach to the delivery of services that all police should understand and use to establish continuous friendly relations with the people and to earn their confidence and support.

At the heart of the concept of community policing is the principle that in Afghanistan, where sovereignty belongs to people according to the article 4 of the constitution, the police should serve the people. By carrying out community policing services, the ANP will earn public trust and confidence and this will be the key to their success while performing their duties, since the public is the best source of intelligence and information about the criminals, insurgents and terrorists. Community policing has therefore become the preferred way around the world to carry out police functions.

Relations with the Public: Policing comes from the people and should serve the people

  • Over the next ten years, the ANP will be a civilian community policing institution with strong relations with the people through formal and informal mechanisms, and serving the people according to their legitimate needs.
  • By earning the trust and respect of the people, the ANP will gain public support, which may lead to people providing the intelligence and information needed for the police to fight crime and insurgency, as well as ensuring public order.
  • National Police at the center and the provincial level will hold regular consultative meetings with people in communities, civil society, human rights organizations, religious scholars and community leaders to receive their views, suggestions and criticisms of police performance, and to use their suggestions and feedback to improve the quality and effectiveness of police operations.
  • The ANP will maintain a visible presence among the people, be accessible to them and by the use of formal and informal complaints mechanisms will be publicly accountable
  • The ANP will conduct public awareness campaigns and programs to expand public knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of their national police and how the public can cooperate with the police

Fighting Corruption

  • The ANP will fight all forms of corruption in a committed, effective and tangible manner.
  • The Ministry of Interior will have effective systems, mechanisms, policies and regulations in place to fight corruption, prosecute corrupt officials and to prevent corruption taking place
  • In order to fight corruption in a robust and effective manner, the authority of the head of the Inspector General`s Department will be further increased
  • The MOI will strengthen its accountability mechanisms, and will remain committed to principles of the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework.

Transparency, Accountability and Responsibility

A: Transparency: Transparency emphasizes enforcing laws and regulations in an open way. It facilitates the monitoring and evaluation of police performance and conduct, denotes the openness of the police institution to citizens, demonstrates police integrity in serving the people, opens access to the police for ordinary citizens, and prohibits the release of misinformation or the blocking of public access to the information needed to evaluate police performance and conduct.

The following are indicators of transparency:

  • Complete clarity of role and responsibilities of police
  • Public access to information on police activities
  • Public information on the MoI budget and its expenditure
  • Ensuring sound environment through laws, regulations, standard operating procedures, and amendments to regulations
  • Increasing the effectiveness of personnel in the support departments
  • Observing moral principles in behavior and conduct
  • Observing financial regulations

B: Accountability: Accountability means being answerable for one’s expected performance, and so it is a strong tool for control. All police personnel should be accountable for their legal authority and duties, and accept the consequences of their actions.

The following are characteristics of an accountable system:

  • Easy access, quick and direct response, meeting security needs of individuals
  • Access without hindrance and responding to complaints without repercussions for the complainant
  • Using discretion in solving problems of the people
  • Just and impartial proceedings and responding to complaints without regard to personal views
  • Accountability of individuals to superiors
  • Professional and interpersonal skills of complaint officials
  • Observing work ethic, integrity and honor

C: Responsibility: means performing one’s duties and taking responsibility for an action.

Responsibility is collective and managers are responsible for the performance of their subordinates. It is different from accountability, which is individual and personnel or staff are accountable for their own actions.

D. Mechanisms for transparency and accountability

  • The responsibilities, technical expertise, and institutional capacity of the Inspector General`s Department will be enhanced to focus on holding police officials accountable, addressing complaints about police misbehavior, and ensuring transparency, accountability and suppression of corruption
  • Inspection departments of deputy ministers will be brought under the umbrella of Inspector General’s Department
  • The Department will have inspection units in all provinces which will be independent from the provincial police chiefs and will be under direct supervision of the Inspector General
  • The Inspector General`s Department will have professional personnel, especially financial audit experts, to monitor expenses and contracts, and to ensure the smooth operation of all logistical affairs
  • In order to fight corruption more effectively, and prevent abuse of authority and mistreatment of people by the police, in addition to internal inspection and oversight by Inspector General and Professional Standards Department, the MoI will study the possibility of an external oversight mechanism to monitor police behavior.

Mission of the Afghanistan National Police (ANP)

According to Article 5 of the Afghan Police Law, the ANP shall have the following responsibilities:

  • Provide and maintain public order and security, protect the safety of individuals and their legal rights and freedoms, take measures to prevent crime with a specific focus on preventing and detecting serious crime
  • Timely detection of crimes, arresting suspects and perpetrators in accordance with the provision of the law
  • Fighting against moral deviation, social sedition and acts which disrupt public tranquility
  • Protecting public and private assets of national and international organizations
  • Fighting narcotics, organized crimes, corruption and insurgency
  • Facilitating good governance and providing the right of freedom of expression so that people can voice their concerns and judge
  • Fighting terrorism and economic and cybercrime in cooperation with the security agencies
  • Regulating traffic, preventing accidents and other unexpected situations in collaboration with other relevant government agencies
  • Providing relief aid to the victims of natural disasters and other unpredictable events, taking necessary measures and actions for providing public order and safety, obtaining public support for preventive activities
  • Controlling and protecting borders including international airports, the exit and entry of people at the borders, monitoring border traffic and checking documents in collaboration with other relevant agencies
  • Collecting weapons from irresponsible individuals, issuing licenses for carrying firearms, and monitoring the use of weapons
  • Providing security for legal demonstrations and strikes, and combating riots and disorder
  • Ensuring the well-being of prisoners and detainees, protecting their human rights and facilitating their rehabilitation in accordance with the prison laws.

Relations with the Justice and Security Sector

  • The ANP, ANA, NDS, AGO, and Afghan judiciary will have distinct roles and responsibilities and perform their duties in close cooperation and coordination with each other.
  • A permanent working group at the leadership level will have regular meetings to discuss the issues related to the ministries, AGO, and the judiciary. This working group will be composed of representatives from the Afghanistan Independent Bar Association, Afghanistan Independent Commission for Human Rights and the Ministry of Interior.
  • Clear guidelines will be available to enable provincial and district police chiefs and the heads of prosecution offices to hold meetings on a regular basis.
  • The Case Management System will be functional in all province of the country and the MOI Department for Fighting Crimes will have relevant Case Management System positions in its Tashkil. This will enable the ANP and judicial institutions to access accurate information for analysis and assessment of cases simultaneously and on an online basis, as well as register and assess information at all levels.
  • Clear procedures including daily guidelines and instructions will be available for police and prosecutors in the following six:
  • Procedures for prosecutors to raise awareness about indictment, authorization for arrests, court decisions, penalties and court orders to police
  • Procedure for delivering notices and arrest warrants
  • Procedures for cooperation between police and prosecutors when they receive information about the perpetration of a crime
  • Explaining the rights of people involved in a case
  • Protection of crime scenes before assessing the scene
  • Procedure for arrest and release of suspects
  • The Ministry of Interior, the National Police and the justice sector will submit joint suggestions to the government for the revision of laws, including the length of time suspects may be kept in detention centers.
  • Formal mechanisms will be established to ensure consultation on important and mutual issues, including progress in judicial prosecution, collecting evidence and exchanging information
  • The questions of the length of time that police may keep detainees and whether investigations should be conducted by police or prosecutors will be decided.

Revision of Police-Related Laws

  • The Ministry of Interior will review the existing laws and suggest necessary amendments for achieving this vision to the Ministry of Justice and the Parliament
  • The enactment of new laws requiring the production of evidence rather than a confession to secure a conviction need further discussion.