Steep learning curve for Afghan police and their British mentors
Local recruits show they have a nose for recognising when something is potentially wrong, says Guards officer
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A SMALL group of men is sitting on a mat outside a mud building drinking hot tea. To the western eye they look innocent enough but the Afghan police suspect they are insurgents.
British troops are out on a foot patrol with the Afghan National Police (ANP) in an area west of Lashkar Gah.
The soldiers from 2 Company, 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards are part of a police mentoring team (PMT), helping to train local Afghans.
The ANP speak to the men on the mat and pat them down while the British fan out to ensure the area is secure. They search the mud building looking for bomb components, fuses, batteries, wires and jerry cans of fertiliser.
One ANP helps himself to a warm cup of chai and sits down on the mat, chatting and smiling with the men.
Another leaves his rifle on the floor close to the group and wanders off.
Platoon commander Lieutenant Ben Rutt, 28, from Cumnor, Oxford, says the ANP are good at recognising when something is potentially wrong.
“These guys have a real nose for it, they recognise accents from outside the area, they recognise different signs of dress such as a longer turban or longer gown.
“For us it’s very much about trusting their senses because this is their province, their country.”
But that does not mean the Afghan police always follow through with their suspicions.
In this case the police commander refuses to search the nearby compound, where weapons may be hidden, because there are women inside.
“It’s a balance between respecting the local culture and rights and at the same time trying to do the job,” Lt Rutt says.
“Where possible we let the Afghan National Police take the lead.
“On this occasion it was the lead commander that felt that there was suspicion here and it’s also him that feels he doesn’t want to search that compound because there are women in it. I will not go blazing in there without them. My job is to work with them in support of them and if he is unwilling then I can’t force him. This is where we come in trying to steer them and suggest that they have to do the right thing and move in the right direction with the information we’ve got.”
The PMT goes from checkpoint to checkpoint, staying with the local force for a few days, patrolling with them, assessing their skills and trying to guide them.
“(The level of policing is) very much based on their commanders,” Lt Rutt says.
“If you find a good commander, generally speaking you will find good security in that area.
“Some of them are fairly crooked but I think that’s the case with most institutions unfortunately.”
Locals report instances where people have been taken away by police and beaten or forced to pay bribes.
But Afghan police face a tough life, living in poor conditions in isolated and vulnerable areas, facing imminent danger.
At this checkpoint the policemen sleep out in the open, with no toilet or washing facilities. The patrol moves on from the suspected insurgents, having taken their names and photographs.
Later that night Lt Rutt and a few other men sit down with the police, who bring apples to share.
The meeting is to break down barriers and learn about each others’ lives. The British say the ANP are prone to “free-style” with their policing methods. They prefer to learn from experience than to be told what to do. And when they get bored they are prone to wander off and do their own thing.
