By Ingrid Nyborg, Jaishankar Ganapathy and Ajmal Nimruzi.

In Afghanistan, police reform is an important focus of international efforts. After over a decade of assistance, however, there are still daunting challenges of public trust and police effectiveness. From a civilian perspective, the role of the police is a crucial one—and very different from that of the military. Communities, being at the very heart of security challenges, are well positioned to understand the intricacies of security and development. A police service able to work closely with communities plays an important role in managing conflict in the long run. Recognizing this, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior Affairs (MoIA) has steadily increased its efforts in community-oriented policing (COP), despite a deteriorating security situation since the withdrawal of US troops in 2014. In this article, the authors explore how COP in Afghanistan links with local communities and institutions to ensure both peoples’ security and trust.

To read and download the full article in the Journal of Human Security, click here.

Photo credit: Corporal Si Longworth RLC. Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0