PRT/BAMYAN: Can Bamyan Law Enforcement Reform?

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 000205 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SA/FO, SA/A, S/CR, EUR/RPM NSC FOR AMEND AND HARRIMAN OSD FOR BREZEZINSKI REL NATO/AUST/NZ/ISAF CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76 SENSITIVE E.O. 12958 N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM SOCI AF SUBJECT: PRT/BAMYAN: Can Bamyan Law Enforcement Reform? (Part 2 of 2) REF: 06 Kabul 0025 (Opium Burn) 05 Kabul 5268 (Bamyan Development Conference) 05 Kabul 4905 (ANP, Governor Tension) ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: New Zealand is providing a crucial lifeline to Bamyan law enforcement, but needs more U.S. support for their efforts to take hold. NZ commitments in expertise and infrastructure appear to be making progress, but could yield stronger results with targeted U.S. assistance, namely, through construction of a permanent police training center. This is the second cable in a two- part series on Bamyan's beleaguered law enforcement apparatus. END SUMMARY. New Zealand Taking Principal Role in Police Training -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) New Zealand does most of the heavy lifting, in terms of human resources, to support Bamyan's nascent law enforcement structures. The NZ Police are the main drivers behind the current, temporary police training center, located on the adjoining PRT compound. Since the Regional Police Training Center (RTC) opened its doors in 2004, NZ Police (together with INL-funded Dyncorp personnel) have provided instruction to 493 ANP officers drawn from Bamyan, Dai Kundi, Kapisa, Parwan, and Panjshir Provinces. NZ and Dyncorp have trained 193 officers in a 5-week course (for illiterate police),129 police in an 8-week course (for literate police),and 171 officers in officers' training. ¶3. (U) One key characteristic of the New Zealand approach is the long attention span they devote to trainees -- training is a continuum, which does not stop at the compound gates. New Zealand has brought in additional NZ Police inspectors who provide mobile training by imbedding themselves into NZ military patrols, which venture out into the Province for weeks at a time. The imbedded police officers work closely with district chiefs of police to conduct needs assessments and refresher training for policemen who have attended RTC courses, as well as providing in-service training to the RTC's local managers. New Zealand encourages such managers to attend Central Training Centre (CTC) courses in Kabul, such as the recent armory and live-firing training taken by one local instructor. As one NZ inspector explained, "We want to work ourselves out of a job. The sooner local staff can pick up the program unaided, the better." On the Front Line in Providing Infrastructure -------------- - ¶4. (U) New Zealand support for law enforcement extends to bricks and mortar as well. U.S. Army Civil Affairs intended to build new police stations throughout Bamyan, until new rules prohibited CERP funds from being used to assist the ANP. NZ AID picked up the proposal, and will spend $1.3 million in 2006 to construct police stations in five districts in Bamyan. (NOTE: NZ has refrained from making any commitments in Bamyan City, due to the USG commitment to build a police station/training center in 2005. END NOTE) The NZ PRT has also funded and built nine police checkpoints for the ANP throughout Bamyan Province (one of which began the chain of events leading to seizure of 1.9 tons of opium, ref B),and has provided weapons (225 AK-47s),ammunition (20,250 rounds),communications (200 Motorola radios) vehicle repair, uniforms, and boots. ¶5. (U) The Kiwis do not give Bamyan law enforcement a blank check, however, and make every effort to limit the development of dependencies within the local government. A case in point is New Zealand's pending donation of seven Hilux Toyota pickups, one for each ANP district, at a cost of a little over USD 500,000. The vehicles all come with a one-year maintenance contract, which includes funds to train one ANP officer from each district in basic vehicle maintenance. This should hopefully make it possible for the ANP to support its new motorpool and thus extend its own planning horizon. RTC Renovations Give Hint of NZ Training Potential -------------- -------------- ¶6. (U) USG funding (approximately USD 110,000) of desperately-needed additions to the temporary police training center will soon pay dividends. Police training center attendees currently sleep on a dirt floor at a local mosque 5 km from the RTC, with no heat and barely any food. (NOTE: Construction was slated for completion by the first week of January, but difficulties shipping proper generators and getting authorization to fund O&M for the center have delayed final occupancy. END NOTE) Once construction of living quarters, a kitchen, shower and toilet block, and an additional classroom are complete, NZ Police intend to double the RTC course load, offering additional training for both new and recurring students and a more comprehensive, 13- week basic training course. NZ Police also will be able to offer live firearms training with the larger compound and second classroom. Promising First Steps . . . -------------- ¶7. (SBU) New Zealand's efforts with the police appear to be gaining traction. Deputy Chief of Police Malik (with considerable help) is auditing existing ANP resources in Bamyan for the first time. ANP leadership, through this inventory exercise, recently discovered that fuel delivery trucks have been siphoning off between 4 and 500 liters of fuel per truckload. More encouraging (and surprising),the ANP hired nine women police officers for the first time in December, inducting its very first female officer on December 29 (the other eight are in Kabul for training). Malik told PRTOff at the new officer's induction that "a woman governor (HE Habiba Sarabi) has done great good for us. Women police will do even more." . . . Could be Even More With Additional Infrastructure -------------- -------------- ¶8. (U) NZ Police would like to make these small successes the norm, rather than the exception, but current infrastructure cannot support this. Cases requiring more developed investigations and crime scene assessment remain beyond the reach of Bamyan's law enforcement, and waiting for over-tasked experts from Kabul to conduct basic crime scene analysis, fingerprinting, and witness development takes time. New Zealand police believe this is easily remedied through more comprehensive training, both to police and prosecutors. Comprehensive training, however, requires permanent facilities. "The new renovations are a great improvement, but it will take even more if we are to do the jobs we are capable of," Inspector Geoff Hancock told us. ¶9. (SBU) Another common suggestion of NZ Police is that, while RTCs across the country provide basic police instruction and the CTC and GPPO give advanced training, there is currently no middle ground. NZ Police argue, therefore, that intermediate police training should be developed. "Not just Bamyan, but the entire region, maybe even the entire country, needs some bridge between basic police training and (training at the) CTC. We would like a permanent Bamyan RTC to be that bridge." Likewise, the NZ Police hope to conduct training for the entire law enforcement system, both ANP and Prosecution officers in those areas where their investigation roles parallel. Comment: An Opportunity -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Embassy decision makers are justifiably skeptical about risking funds again in Bamyan after so much GOA indecision on previous projects (albeit over the justifiable topic of historic preservation). New Zealand, even while experiencing similar frustrations in funding other projects, has no such reservations. New Zealand is committed, both in monetary and human resource terms, to helping Bamyan's law enforcement apparatus become self-sufficient. NZ Police, NZ AID, and NZ military all believe that a permanent RTC, one smaller (and presumably less expensive),with a different focus and scope than current RTCs, is crucial to that self- sufficiency. ¶11. (SBU) The ANP's recent hiring of women police, due largely to NZ efforts, shows that New Zealand can get results. With significant capacity gaps and corruption concerns, however, the window to influence law enforcement remains small. Efforts are moving in the right direction, but stand little chance of long-term success without U.S. support. We owe it to ourselves, the Afghans, and our OEF allies to support NZ efforts as fully as possible, and explore ways to fund a smaller, different regional training center. NORLAND