Discovering the Soul of Policing in Afghanistan
serve. He believes his mission is to demonstrate the government’s respect for its own people and works to instill this as
part of the ANCOP ethic. He generously recognizes the accomplishments of both officers and NCOs, and works to instill
strong Muslim values as part of the ANCOP culture. As a
result, ANCOP enjoys a high degree of confidence from the Afghan people, who recognize that ANCOP is both capable and
accountable. Zamary works hard to maintain the peoples trust,
meeting constantly with governors, elders, and tribesmen. He
tells them, “Give me your sons to be ANCOP. I will take care
of them, and they will take care of you.” He tells his Commanders that they must talk to the people before they do anything
else. “When someone is appearing in front of the public, he
must know the requirements of the public,” he says. “He cannot
be disconnected.”
In ANCOP, Hamid finally found the professionalism he craved.
He met the ANCOP standards and is currently MG Zamary’s
Aide-de-Camp, but at a personal cost. He endures an endless
cycle of ANCOP deployments and the personal risk that being
part of an elite police force in a country as volatile as Afghanistan carries with it, but his Father is again proud of his police
officer son. Hamid is now married, and he worries about the
Afghanistan that his children will know.
As for MG Zamary, he sees a real generational divide in Afghanistan between leaders who are “real” Afghans, and leaders who,
in his mind, do not have a heart for the country. He laments
that there are not more who want to serve, and adds that when
he is asked to speak at official events, the Afghan officials do
not want to hear the voice of the people. He sees in Hamid the
future of Afghanistan. Indeed, it is that future that Hamid now
sees in himself.
Conclusion
The story of the ANP is still being written and the challenges
that existed when NTM-A recalibrated the policing development mission in 2009 are all still present. ANCOP is only one
police pillar among six in the ANP. ANCOP has proven be an
incredibly capable force. Having learned many lessons throughout 2011, ANCOP performed admirably during periods of
serious civil unrest in early 2012. Arguably, with its higher
recruitment standards and focused mission, ANCOP may have
an easier time of it, but the fact remains that MG Zamary has
been able to recognize and retain young talent like Hamid.
capable of conducting policing operations to support the rule of
law. However, Hamid’s experience, and the success of ANCOP
of which he is now a part, is representative of what can be accomplished when individuals and units are given the opportunity to find their way toward an Afghan model of professionalism
and an Afghan ethic of public service and accountability. And
in the end, understanding Hamid may be the key to discovering
the soul of policing in Afghanistan.
U.S. Army Sgt. Jacob Frey explains transmission repair through
an interpreter to a group of Afghan military members July
18, 2012 at Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan. Frey is a vehicle
maintainer assigned to 209th Headquarters Support Company,
Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1852296,00.html#ixzz1GhUNLtkM
2
NTM-A Mission Statement, posted at http://www.ntm-a.
com/
3
Survey data taken from NTM-A Deep Dive Reports to
COMISAF, May, August, and November 2010.
4
50,000 Afghanis is equal to approximately $1150.00 US, or
765 Euros.
1
Literacy remains a huge impediment to professionalization
across the ANP, corruption is a problem at every level, and
questions remain about whether the ANP as a whole are truly
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