Local police force strength to increase: ISAF

KABUL), praising the local police role in maintaining security as significant, on Monday said the force strength would be increased from the current 11,000 to 30,000.

ISAF spokesman Carsten Jacobson told a joint press conference with the interior ministry spokesman, Ghulam Sadiq Siddiqui, in Kabul that the initiative had been a success and the alliance would help the ministry equip and train local policemen.

Currently, 11,000 local police personnel have been deployed to 57 districts of the country, he said, adding the force members would be stationed in 99 districts after their strength was increased to 30,000. However, he did not provide any timeline for increasing the number.

Local policemen are a new initiative of the ministry to arm locals against the Taliban and other insurgents in areas where there is no security presence. The local policemen, although not government employees, are paid by the ministry.

Siddiqui praised the role of local police as effective in improving the security situation. “Currently, the ministry is working to make the force more professional,” he said.

“Activities of the force are monitored,” he said, adding 15 local policemen had so far been terminated for committing crimes. The initiative of setting up the force was taken by former NATO commander David Petraeus in 2010.

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