NEPAL POLICE READY FOR TRAINING AND TECHNICAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 001786 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR DOJ ICITAP E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/07/2016 TAGS: PGOV PTER PREL KCRM EAID NP SUBJECT: NEPAL POLICE READY FOR TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE REF: 04 KATHMANDU 2343 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Nicholas Dean. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Summary And Introduction -------------- ¶1. (C) Maoists have decimated Nepal Police posts in most parts of the country and forced most police personnel to move into district headquarters. There has been no government security presence in most rural areas during the last few years of the Maoist insurgency. In addition, foreign assistance programs to the Nepal Police virtually halted after the King's takeover in February 2005. With the move back to democracy, the current cease-fire, and a Government of Nepal (GON) keen on training and reform, the United States and the international community should become more involved in assisting the police. Support for the Nepal Police is an integral part of a strategy supporting the GON to show Nepali people that the GON is serious about delivering services and supporting law and order (reftel). ¶2. (C) Upon assessing the capacity and training needs of the Nepal Police from June 26-30, Gary Barr and Leon Sakamoto, members of the Department of Justice's International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP),proposed a three-point strategy for reform and assistance. The strategy focuses on police reform and organizational development, technical skills training, and forensic laboratory assistance. During their visit, they met with police, government officials, civil society, and international missions, all of whom are eager for and optimistic about the prospect of training and assistance for the police. The Embassy strongly endorses the ICITAP proposal and would welcome the opportunity to host a full-time resident Senior Law Enforcement Advisor. End Summary and Introduction. ICITAP Plan For The Future -------------- ¶3. (C) At the end of their assessment trip, the ICITAP team presented the Ambassador with a notional plan for a law enforcement assistance program in Nepal. The plan provides for a three-prong approach: police reform and organizational development, technical skills training, and forensic laboratory assistance. The plan recommended a full-time Senior Law Enforcement Advisor be assigned to the Nepal Police in order to provide continuity of approach, and intermittent police trainers come in as needed. ¶4. (C) Baman Prasad Neupane, Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry, told the team and Emboffs that the Home Ministry would likely support such a plan to provide training and assistance to the Nepal Police and welcomed their efforts. The team also presented their findings to the Inspector General of the Nepal Police, who was optimistic and excited about the plan. Nepal Police Ready For Training And Reforms -------------- ¶5. (C) Om Bikram Thapa, Inspector General of the Nepal Police, gave Barr and Sakamoto, accompanied by Emboffs, a list of needs for the Nepal Police. Training, forensics, investigative techniques, human rights, updating the Police Act, community policing, traffic management, corruption control, and pension reform are the top priorities. In addition to stressing training, police officials suggested that cyber-crime was an issue they would like to pursue in the future. Thapa showed great interest in any possible assistance offered by the ICITAP team to the Nepal Police, and proffered his personal support for such programs. Other Countries Ready To Coordinate -------------- ¶6. (C) Alan Whaites, Senior Governance Adviser for the British Department for International Development (DFID),told us that DFID would not be able to resume any type of assistance to the Nepal Police until the beginning of their next fiscal year in April 2007. He suggested that DFID could provide consultancy help with any programs ICITAP started, and could provide advice based on their past experiences in Nepal. ¶7. (C) Arvind Kumar, First Secretary and Chief Security Officer at the Indian Embassy, stated that the Government of India (GOI) had provided arms and ammunition to the Nepal Police and counter-insurgency training in India in the past. He said that the GOI was waiting for a formal request from the GON before offering any new training, but that any training would likely be done exclusively in India. He added that the GOI would go forward with whatever the GON asked for, including providing equipment to update investigative and forensic labs if necessary. Kumar suggested that we coordinate our programs in the future to avoid overlap. Civil Society On Need To Work With The Police -------------- ¶8. (C) Mandira Sharma, Executive Director of Advocacy Forum Nepal, said that the police had problems with illegal detention and torture in police detention centers. She was hopeful for change in the future, and thought that training for the police was the answer -- including training by civil society groups such as hers. Yubaraj Sangroula, Director of the Kathmandu School of Law, also suggested that training was key, and that the commissioned officers of the force were responsible individuals, but most maltreatment came from low-level police who were not well-trained. Shambu Thapa, head of the Nepal Bar Association, said that the police lacked knowledge and professionalism and that there were not enough police, but that training was the key to a professional police force. ¶9. (C) Everyone in civil society with whom the ICITAP team met seemed ready to work with the police by advising, or providing training, or educational materials to the police. Most civil society groups identified corruption as a major obstacle in police reform. Sangroula stated that politics play a big role in police actions, and that the police needed to be free from political expectations. Shambu Thapa separately agreed, stating that corruption was rampant in the police, and that promotion was based purely on "who you know, not what you know." Sapana Pradhan Malla, Director of Development Law Associates and a women's rights activist, said that the general population, especially women, did not trust the police to help them. She stated that many times, women who were trafficked or abused would not go to the police because of fear that the police might treat them badly and not investigate their crimes unless they had money to pay a bribe. All three of them suggested that further training on these issues could help solve these problems. Armed Police Force Unsure Of Its Role -------------- ¶10. (C) During their visit, the ICITAP team also met with the Armed Police Force (APF),although ICITAP does not plan to work with the APF, which already has received sufficient support from other donors. The leaders of the APF stated that they were unsure of their role given the current political environment but were making plans to transform from a force that was primarily paramilitary and charged with fighting the Maoists to a force that had other goals. Kishor Lama, Deputy Inspector General of the APF, told us that the APF might begin to focus more on customs and border control, intelligence collection, international terrorism, and smuggling. Incorporating Maoists? -------------- ¶11. (C) Police and APF sources privately told us that immediately after the people's movement in May 2006, the APF and Nepal police formulated a joint plan for changes, including possible integration of Maoist cadre, and presented it to the newly formed GON. The plan recommends that Maoists, in order to peacefully integrate into the police forces, would have to enter as recruits, based on their level of education, just like anyone else entering the police. Without this, they said, there could be serious problems with integration. Comment -------------- ¶12. (C) The Embassy and the ICITAP team were encouraged to find that GON, police and civil society representatives were welcoming of and confident about the success of a police assistance program in Nepal. The Nepal Police are ready for help in creating a better, more professional and well-trained force -- an essential element in Nepal's transition to a well-ordered democracy. The Embassy believes that the ICITAP program would have strong immediate impact in Nepal. The sooner they can get on the ground and working here, the better. DEAN