Supplementary memorandum by Jim Murphy,
Minister for Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
When I gave evidence to Sub-Committee C on 3
July, I agreed to write about the EU Police Mission in Afghanistan.
The Mission has now been operating for a year.
The Mission's Joint Action set its objective as:
"EUPOL AFGHANISTAN shall significantly contribute
to the establishment under Afghan ownership of sustainable and
effective civilian policing arrangements, which will ensure appropriate
interaction with the wider criminal justice system, in keeping
with the policy advice and institution building work of the Community,
Member States and other international actors. Further the Mission
will support the reform process towards a trusted and efficient
police service, which works in accordance with international standards,
within the framework of the rule of law and respects human rights."
This means that the Mission complements the
much larger US police reform programme by providing civilian law
enforcement expertise in Kabul, the regions and provinces. The
Mission has focused on institution-building and some provincial
mentoring.
The Afghan police require both civilian law
enforcement and paramilitary policing skills, and trained police
need a stronger organisation in which to work. International assistance
is now better focused on these three planks—civilian, paramilitary
and institution building. The main US effort is now at the district
level with a programme called Focused District Development, which
assesses the skills of police at the district level and then provides
mainly paramilitary training and mentoring. The EU and US programmes
agree priorities with the Afghan Interior Minister in the International
Police Co-ordination Board, created last year.
The EU Mission strength has now reached 170
international personnel, with 40% deployed outside Kabul in 14
provinces. Significant expansion of the logistical base of the
mission has allowed the pace of deployment to increase over recent
months. The Mission's current manpower requirements stand at 232
international personnel, and more personnel are deploying this
summer. The Mission provides training to all incoming personnel
about security, the work of the Mission and the context in which
it operates. The Mission employs interpreters to work alongside
the international personnel. In addition, UK police officers receive
firearms and hostile environment training before deployment as
well as briefing on UK engagement in Afghanistan, including from
fellow officers already working in the Mission.
Police reform in Afghanistan is a very challenging
task and the Mission needs strong support from Brussels and good
leadership in-country. The Secretary General/High Representative
Javier Solana visited the Mission on 21 April. The EU Civilian
Operations Commander, Kees Klompenhouwer, visited the Mission
two weeks after taking up his new role in May and is reinforcing
the Mission's senior management team. Kees Klompenhouwer is focused
on increasing the Mission's impact and putting into effect the
commitment by the May General Affairs and External Relations Council
to increase significantly the size of the Mission to over 400
international personnel. We have seconded UK police officers to
assist this planning, which will focus on areas where the Mission
can add most value in complement to the US reform programme and
on setting a realistic timescale for deployment based on robust
logistical and security planning.
I explained in my letter of 16 July that the
Mission's current Joint Action expires on 30 September but was
likely to be renewed through a no-cost extension during Recess.
A draft has now issued for immediate agreement by written procedure
so that financial procedures can be completed in time for a possible
change in the Head of Mission. The current incumbent will complete
his year in September. I expect the substantive Joint Action on
doubling the size of the Mission to issue after Recess.
29 July 2008
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