Afghan Development Report: New Border Police Faculty Inaugurated
The Canadian government is on its way to fulfilling the fourth of its six proclaimed priorities in Afghanistan, namely border security with facilitation of bilateral dialogue between officials from Afghanistan and Pakistan. A secure and well-managed border will help promote much needed economic opportunities for border-region residents. It will also stimulate the flow of legitimate trade and travel while curtailing the movement of insurgents’ arms and drugs. The Canadian government has earmarked $32 million until 2011 to reach these goals in close co-operation with the Afghan government. On June 16th 2010, a significant step forward was taken with the announcement of the inauguration of a new Border Police Faculty in Kabul.
Canada’s Chargé d’Affaires Cindy Termorshuizen, Germany’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Werner H. Lauk, and Afghan Deputy Interior Minister General Haidar Basir, inaugurated the new Border Police Faculty at the National Police Academy in Kabul. The Border Police Faculty will provide training for 400 police students and 50 police trainers. The German-Canadian co-financed project is worth € 6 million, to which each country contributed about € 3 million.
The Afghanistan Border Police (ABP) is responsible for securing the borders of Afghanistan and providing security for its international airports. The ABP administers the country’s immigration and visa services as well as customs regulations. Its anti-narcotic actions are also of critical importance to the country’s stability. Ms. Termorshuizen added:
“The new faculty will provide additional training capacity for the Afghan Border Police, particularly for senior ranks, building their capacity to enhance border security in Afghanistan.”
The ABP falls under the umbrella of the Afghan National Police, which in itself is under the administrative control of the country’s Ministry of Interior. Canada is supporting the ABP not only by contributing to the new faculty, but also by mentoring senior members of the police. Canada currently has 44 civilian police mentors on the ground in Afghanistan, including 36 working with the Afghan National Police in Kandahar. As the third largest contributor to the Law and Order Trust Fund in Afghanistan, Canada is a major supporter of Afghan National Police salaries, having contributed almost $80 million since 2002. By 2011, Canada expects that Afghan institutions, in cooperation with Pakistan, will exercise stronger capacity to manage the border and foster economic development in the border area.
By: Monika Wyrzykowska
*Disclaimer: Any views or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the NATO Council of Canada. This article is published for information purposes only.
Sources: Embassy of Canada in Afghanistan – Inauguration of the new Border Police Faculty in Kabul, Background on the Border Police Faculty, Afghanistan-Pakistan Border
