ALP program starting in Shah Joy

Published Jan. 28, 2011
By 1st Lt. Brian Wagner
Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul

QALAT, Afghanistan -- Zabul Provincial leaders held a shura, or meeting, in Shah Joy, Jan. 26, with district officials and elders to announce the start of the first Afghan Local Police program in the province.

Zabul Deputy Gov. Gulab Shah and the Zabul Deputy Chief of Police Col. Jalani Khan travelled to Shah Joy to discuss the ALP program and request support from the district elders.

Deputy Gov. Shah asked for their best and most trustworthy people to be part of the local police.

"You need to submit a list of people with good character from your villages that will provide security for your local areas," he said. "Instead of having Afghans from other regions providing you security, now you will have Shah Joy residents protecting their own villages."

The deputy governor stressed that there will be accountability for the local police through the district chief of police. He also said that elders could report any issues with the district police chief.

A Special Forces team in Shah Joy will also assist the ALP program by providing training to the recruits and mentoring district security leaders.

"The program took its first step today by holding a meeting with the local elders to explain the program and gain their support," said the Shah Joy Special Forces team lead. "Now that the meeting was successful, we will begin receiving names and hope to start training in the next two months."

He said the training, for approximately 250 police, will last three weeks and will include weapons training, checkpoint procedures, drug recognition and familiarization with the Afghan Constitution.

Members of the Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul were also on hand for the announcement.

"The program leverages the experience of familiarity with the local community, the approval process of elders and the village shura, proper equipment and training from the Ministry of Interior, as well as a command structure under the District Chief of Police," said Lt. Col. Andy Veres, PRT Zabul commander.

"The Afghan Local Police initiative will serve as the cornerstone of village level security and addresses the long standing criticism of remote hamlets being left defenseless against small groups of roving insurgents," he said.