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Burke, Sean Michael (2013) Policing in Afghanistan: time for the Afghan local police to play a greater role? Doctoral thesis, London Metropolitan University.
This thesis examines the role of local policing in the "post-conflict" and "emerging from conflict" environment within Afghanistan. It argues that a wider utilisation of the Afghan Local Police along with the broader implementation of community policing will deliver improved security. This thesis argues that local police can assist with the expansion of local governance and support the delivery of centralised government to a decentralised, rural or isolated population. It examines a range of barriers and problems to this approach and assesses the extent to which ISAF, UNAMA and the international community is likely to be able to overcome them. The first part of this thesis constructs a theoretical framework which allows for a review of the police and Afghan security structures, past policing initiatives and local security constructs. It specifically reviews a local policing model as a mechanism for delivering community security and governance in Afghanistan, a country that in 2012 is currently in transition to accepting responsibility for its own security. Afghanistan is not classically "post conflict". It is an eclectic mix of a country existing simultaneously in-conflict, post-conflict and emerging from conflict, depending on the province or district being considered. The second part of this thesis critically examines the Afghan Local Police as an institution, its strengths and weaknesses and its linkages to governance and sub-national governance mechanisms. This thesis evaluates the main debate over the adoption of a national policing model based on intelligence-led policing and western and US philosophy versus a local based philosophy that most security issues within Afghanistan are local and tribally-based and a local security model would be successful in providing long-term state and local security. The existing police plan is based on western policing ideals that fail to understand or take into account the importance of tribally-led local traditional policing in a complex tribal country like Afghanistan. The thesis concludes that a local policing force or service has a significant role to play in Afghan society today as a community-based policing model supporting the hierarchy of sovereignty in a post-conflict predominantly tribal and rural society whilst additionally reinforcing the central government.
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