By: Rule of Law Field Force-Afghanistan Public Affairs
PARWAN, Afghanistan - The Afghanistan Criminal Techniques Academy and Laboratory opened here Nov. 29, marking the beginning of a critical piece of the transition process from U.S. and coalition forces to the Afghan government. The academy will be the cornerstone of the Afghan Forensic Training Program, which will provide five Afghan regional forensic labs and forensic mentorship at all locations.
As part of an extensive four-phase plan to train Afghan National Police officers in the science of forensics, instructors at ACTA plan to provide education in disciplines that include: latent print, firearms/tool mark, forensic photography and document/media exploitation.
The forensic program enables ANP officers to equip themselves with the skills required to process technical data that will be used to support criminal prosecutions as well as the counterterrorism effort.
“[The ACTA] is for decreasing crime and finding the anonymous person who is doing wrong actions among the people, who is doing something illegal,” said ANP Lt. Gen. Jamil Junbish, chief of Anti-Crime. “I am happy to be here to open the Criminal Techniques Academy to decrease crimes in our country.”
At least 16 ANP students are expected to attend the academy each semester. After a three-to-four-day orientation at the Ministry of Interior Central Lab in Kabul, Afghanistan, students will receive 10 to 12 weeks of basic forensic training, followed by eight to 10 months of mentor training at a regional laboratory and 10 weeks of advanced forensic training. Upon completion of this training cycle, the new Afghan forensic examiners will man and operate the five regional forensic laboratories.
The rigorous four-phase plan supports initiatives of the Afghan National Justice Sector Strategy in partnership with the Ministry of Interior and NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan.
“Whenever law enforcement is talked about, we have some elements to know about [the criminals]. We must have an Academy like this to find the guilty person who did the crimes,” said Dr. Abdul Malik Kamawi, Afghan Supreme Court administrator.
In addition to U.S. instructors, MoI forensic specialists will assist in providing instruction to the ANP students.
“The technical investigation techniques and principles of forensic science that will be taught here will assist the Afghan police investigator to better identify, arrest or capture those individuals who threaten the peace and security of Afghanistan and other criminals who violate Afghan law,” said Rear Admiral James Crawford, Commander, NATO Rule of Law Field Support Mission–Afghanistan and Rule of Law Mission Field Force–Afghanistan. “The most important aspect of this academy is that it is Afghan-driven and, in time, will be Afghan-led.”