EUPOL supports police impartiality in election training Kabul. More than 200 police district commanders were trained by EUPOL Afghanistan on their role in the forthcoming presidential and provincial council elections in April 2014. The main focus of the workshop was to emphasize the impartiality of the police during the electoral process. The workshops at the Police Staff College were conducted upon the request of the Afghan Ministry of Interior, which were directed and hosted by the Afghan National Police (ANP) General Training Command. The aim of the workshops was also to increase the capability of operational police commanders to meet the challenges likely to be faced by the police in the elections such as violence. EUPOL Afghanistan’s political advisor, Eithne MacDermott, having a wealth of election monitoring experience addressed the district commanders at the workshop. She discussed the importance of elections and the key role that police play in upholding the rule of law in elections, both in their public role as defenders of the constitution and in their private capacity as citizens of a young republic. She described her experiences observing elections in other Muslim countries – such as Kyrgyzstan and Kosovo - where war and ethnic matters have given rise to very specific political challenges. Concluding her remarks, Eithne remarked on the paradox of successful policing in a democratic election: “The irony is that the more successful the police role in the election, the less visible the police themselves actually are, and the less credit that they are likely to receive, even when they have conducted themselves flawlessly.” Her contribution was very well received by the Afghan police officers. Colonel Mohamed commented: “We know more about the challenges that face us during the elections, and today’s speech made me think personally about my role as a police officer, but also as a citizen. Impartiality is very important to me, and I will instruct my officers in the same way.” This kind of awareness and commitment was the intent of the workshop. And Ralph Logan, EUPOLs Training Component Deputy Head, responsible for training activities at the Police Staff College was very pleased to hear Colonel Mohamed’s comment. He explains the election support provided to the Afghan National Police: “We discussed some time ago EUPOLs position on providing support, through training, to the Afghan police leading up to the election. With guidance we agreed to support these workshops, and to run some additional command and control training events.” The organization and delivery of has been a totally Afghan led project. For Ralph “this is another example of the ANP taking the lead in developing the capacity of their own staff.” Security throughout the electoral process and impartiality is also one of the main goals of the Ministry of Interior (MoI). Its spokesman Ghulam Sediq Siddiqui reiterated at a press conference in Kabul police would remain impartial during elections, without work for or against any candidate. Several police officials, including a district police chief in Nangarhar, had already been sacked on charges of interfering in the election campaign. About 95 percent of polling centers are expected to be open for business on April 5, the Presidential and Provincial Council election day, according to the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and reported by Tolonews. If accurate, the estimate would mean more centers will be active in the upcoming elections than were during the 2009 Presidential vote. Out of 6,831 polling centers, 6,431 will be open and the Afghan forces will oversee security responsibilities, Sediqqi said. Unfortunately, 414 polling centres will not be open. EUPOL Afghanistan operates within a strictly defined mission mandate, which includes the ongoing development of a civilian orientated police organization. This holds true for policing activity during an election period. To date two workshops have taken place within the Police Staff College, with over 200 police District Commanders attending from every Province in Afghanistan. Further workshops are planned for January and February.
Posted on: Sun, 12 Jan 2014 07:34:16 +0000
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