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By Capt Martin Gerst, USAF
NTM-A
Law is for the protection of the rights of citizens. In order for police forces to protect citizens and gain their trust, they must operate within the law, they must understand those laws. Three Afghan attorneys working with the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan Staff Judge Advocate’s Office in Kabul are ensuring the Afghan National Police have the means necessary to comprehend the law. “We’re seeing Afghan Police training Afghan Police,” said Lt. Cmdr. David Gonzalez, Deputy Legal Mentor for Afghan National Police Development.
NTM-A’s Afghan attorneys train legal advisors within the police force. These legal advisors are officers and non-commissioned officers who lack any formal legal education, but are equipped with training in constitutional law, search and seizure, police law, use of force, human rights and anti-corruption. “This knowledge is the critical enabler in developing ANP advisors who are capable of providing operational legal advice to zone commanders, investigators and police chiefs,” said Cmdr. Scott Thompson, Senior Legal Mentor for Afghan National Police Development The NTM-A trainers also work to develop the ability of ANP legal advisors to teach the law to other police. “This type of instruction is essential to growing police who operate with an understanding and respect for the law,” said Thompson.
Some police have never received any type of legal training in their careers. U.S. and international rule of law trainers offer some legal training to police, but ANP trainers offer the best prospect of reaching the over 97,000 police throughout the country, including in areas where security concerns prevent civilian trainers from operating. “The law is the soul of the police, and integrating legal advisors into the ANP is essential to building a force that respects the rights of Afghan citizens.” According to Cmdr. Thompson, in only one year, NTM-A’s Afghan attorneys have trained all seven regional legal offices in Afghanistan: Kabul City Police Center, Central, Afghan Border Police, Gardez, Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat.
There are two phases of training for legal advisors. Phase I is basic legal training comprised of an overview of rule of law, Afghanistan constitutional law, police law, prison and detention law and human rights. Phase II is intermediate training, where students receive in depth instruction regarding Afghanistan’s formal justice systems, criminal law and procedure, police disciplinary rules and regulations, roles of the prosecutor, and anti-corruption law. In addition, legal advisors participate in practical exercises during Phase II training. Leadership training was recently added to the Phase II course. Phase I training consists of a one week block of instruction while Phase II is comprised of two weeks. Once legal advisors have completed Phase I and II training, they in turn train ANP in the various provinces.
The success of NTM-A’s program was recently demonstrated in Kabul. The Kabul City Police Command Legal Advisor independently developed a plan to train police in all 17 Kabul City precincts. In only two months, his staff has progressed from being students themselves, to conducting classes on their own for Kabul police. The Kabul City training is ongoing, with similar training in development for other regions. “When the ANP are fully able to train their police, rule of law will become a reality,” said Gonzalez.
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Way to go, SJA/JAG! 'Rule of Law' in Afghanistan is a most noble undertaking and mission! Keep up the great and noble works.
Cheers,
larry