EUPOL closes field office in Herat

HERAT (Pajhwok): The European Union Police (EUPOL) mission in Afghanistan on Wednesday announced closing down its field office in western Herat at the end of May after seven years of support to Afghan counterparts.

“The closure of the EUPOL field office in Herat is a sign of the joint achievements and partnership between EUPOL and our Afghan partners. The closure also reflects the progress that we have made with our Afghan partners who are now in the lead for security and justice,” said EUPOL head of mission Pia Stjernvall at a ceremony in Herat.

A statement by the mission said, the field office in Herat has had good results especially in fostering community policing principles and methods as well as enhancing the cooperation between police, prosecutors and defence lawyers.

“The field office in Herat had an essential role in building the civilian police service in the province and at the same time, it improved the understanding of the implementation of the policies of the Afghan Government in the area”, said Stjernvall.

She added: “The fact that we are able to celebrate the closure of our field office in Herat underlines the fact that there are dedicated Afghan partners left who can continue the development towards a civilian police service that will be professional, accountable and effective and has strong links to the judiciary.”

Since its establishment in 2007 EUPOL Afghanistan has supported the Afghan government in building a civilian police service that operates within an improved rule of law framework and in respect of human rights, the mission said in a statement.

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