Royal Canadian Mounted Police
www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
CIVPOL Diary: On the ground with the Afghan National Police
Archived Content
Information identified as archived on the Web is for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It has not been altered or updated after the date of archiving. Web pages that are archived on the Web are not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards. As per the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, you can request alternate formats on the "Contact Us" page.
By Cpl Barry Pitcher
PRT CIVPOL
Kandahar (Afghanistan) — Just in from the Zhare district, west of Kandahar, where I spent the last few weeks with the Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group. We organized and trained various Afghan National Police (ANP) units. We also arranged for locals to go in and clean out two previously occupied schools, so they could be used as they were originally intended to. We even brought back the old 'headmaster' to
reclaim his school. His first order of business was to weed his old rose garden, something he had not been able to do in four years.
Essentially, the Taliban gutted the schools out a few years ago and after the ANP battled it back, they used it more or less as a police fort. When we finished our police training and cleaned up the classrooms, some locals celebrated and we handed out small Canada tattoos and flags. Many of the combat troops commented that doing that was definitely a feel good moment and even the highlight of the tour thus far. It is joint projects like these, with Foreign Affairs providing the funding, us doing training, and the military doing what they do best, that highlight our success.
click to enlarge
Since we were in the 'birth place' of the Taliban movement (Sangasar), things would occasionally get testy. It was interesting watching our Afghan police brothers break off training for combat; now there's something we don't see at division headquarters every day. It was amazing to see these guys take off, 12 to a Toyota pickup, loaded down with rocket propelled grenades (RPGs). They fight the Taliban in a skirmish, come back to have a bite of bread, reload the RPGs, then back out across the grape fields again. One commander told me he has been fighting the Taliban for 12 years and that is all he knows how to do. Make no mistake, these men are perhaps the bravest and fiercest fighters I have ever seen. Many of them have nothing but a grey uniform and sandals, yet they sprint across open ground faster than a deer. When I head out to the field, I often take a 'goody bag' of small flashlights, pins, and traffic vests for the ANP as a reward for training.
Unlike a traditional police force, the ANP are referred to as police 'soldiers', as it is a more honourable title. Here, a police officer who is static is seen as less than honourable. Combat for these men is the highest form of glory and you can see it when they return from a fight; they are as excited and giddy as school children. We shake hands and hug them as they come back to us after an engagement, because they seek our approval in a sort of 'big brother' way. I have found they are most protective of us as civilian police, because of the bond we form from training them.
All is well for our small group and onward goes the tour.
