CAMP EGGERS, Afghanistan — At a recent meeting of the International Police Coordination Board, the international community approved Afghan national police growth of up to 10,000 to meet security needs for the upcoming August elections in 14 key provinces.
According to Col. Bradley K. Nelson, the Combined Security Transition Command — Afghanistan ANP Force integration officer, the training for the additional police will be divided into two phases, much like the training for the additional 4,800 police that are already being trained for duty in Kabul. The officers will attend three weeks of training prior to the elections and will receive an additional five weeks of training after the elections.
"This is a critical component in election security," stated Nelson, "as we continue to build police forces throughout Afghanistan."
The additional police will provide site security to polling stations throughout the 14 selected provinces. With approximately 10 ANP assigned to a station, this will allow the ANP to secure nearly a thousand additional polling stations in Afghanistan.
The training of the 10,000 is the second phase of the plan to train 15,000 new police and will take place after the 4,800 new Kabul police are trained.
"There is a lot of hard work going on all across Afghanistan, from the Ministry of Interior to the coalition forces, to enable the Afghan national police to perform their duties and ensure a safe election," stated Nelson.