page_title: Afghan Local Police
section_title: Operation
hierarchical_section_title: Afghan Local Police / Operation
caption_attribution_description: English: Haji Hayatullah (dressed in white and gray), an Afghan Local Police commander leads ALP patrolmen toward gunfire in the desert surrounding Nawa. During a patrol through the district, Afghan National Army soldiers and Marines with 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, heard an improvised explosive device detonate followed by machine-gun fire. The group detoured from their route into the desert to determine the cause and lend aid if necessary.
context_page_description: The Afghan Local Police is a US-UK sponsored local law enforcement agency, defence force and militia in Afghanistan as part of the Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs. Formed primarily as a local defence force against Taliban insurgents its members have no power of arrest and are only authorised to investigate crime if requested to do so by the Afghan National Police. It was established at the request of the International Security Assistance Force in Summer 2010 and is paid for by the United States. Officers undergo three weeks military and police training by ISAF personnel and receive weapons and a uniform. They are intended to defend their villages from insurgent attack and allow the ANP to focus on offensive operations. It was originally intended to function for between two and five years.
  The US government provided funding in February 2013 to expand the ALP to 45,000 members and to provide the programme until at least 2018, anticipating the withdrawal of most foreign troops from the country by the end of 2014.
context_section_description: The ALP was established as an armed defence force at village-level and does not have police powers.  It was intended to free Afghan security forces from the defensive role and allow them to focus on offensive operations in advance of the withdrawal of foreign military units from Afghanistan. ALP candidates receive three weeks of training some of which is delivered by US special forces personnel. The training primarily covers military skills such as marksmanship and IED detection but also covers human rights, the correct use of force and the Afghan constitution.  ALP officers do not have powers of arrest but can detain individuals for a limited amount of time before turning them over to the national police. The ALP is not intended to investigate crime (and can do so only if asked by the National Police) and is uniformed in khaki in contrast to the Afghan National Police's (ANP) blue uniforms. The Local Police are not permitted to carry arms outside of their home districts ALP officers hold a one-year employment contract, there is a provision in place for officers to transfer to the ANP or the Afghan Army upon completion of their one-year service.
  The ALP is intended to provide a local security presence whose members are known to those that they seek to protect.  Previously this work fell to the Afghan National Police who were often sent from further afield and sometimes could not even speak the language of the local populace. A target of 30 ALP officers per village and 300 in each district has been set by CFSOCC-A. Potential recruits are biometrically screened in conjunction with the Afghan National Directorate of Security for potential criminal or terrorist connections. Potential ALP officers must be Afghan nationals aged between 19 and 45, demonstrate patriotism and be fit and healthy. Monthly salaries are between 6,000 and 8,250 afghanis per month. The US government funds ALP salaries, weapons, ammunition and training through the Afghan Security Forces Fund that provides the finance direct to the Ministry of Interior. The ultimate goal is for ALPs to function independently of the US security forces with all ALP posts seeking to be independent by the end of 2014.
  In February 2013 the US government announced plans to expand the ALP programme.  The Pentagon will provide an additional $1.2 billion to extend the programme to at least 2018 and provide for 45,000 officers. US military commanders hope that the programme will allow for the withdrawal of the majority of US troops by 2014 with only a small cadre of special forces personnel remaining to provide training to ALP officers and other Afghan security forces. As of February 2013 the ALP had a presence in just 100 of Afghanistan's 400 districts, though plans were in place to expand this to a further 44 districts within the next few months.
caption: An ALP commander (in white) leads three ALP officers (in dark green) towards the sound of machine gun fire
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