3 February 2011 – Despite challenges, Afghans are increasingly confident about police in their area because of improved presence of officers, according to an independent survey launched today by the Ministry of Interior of Afghanistan and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Overall, 79 percent of Afghans hold a favourable opinion of the police with peaks at 91 percent in urban areas such as Central Kabul, according to the Police Perception Survey – 2010.

The increased confidence correlates to increased presence of the force. Eight out of 10 Afghans polled said police have “strong” presence in their area.

In addition, 73 percent of the Afghans polled said they have respect for the police and 71 percent confidence in its abilities.

In regions where police presence has been replaced by military operations, particularly in the southern areas such as Helmand, Afghans’ confidence has fallen to 48 percent - down 19 points from a year ago.

“One of the best ways to improve the service delivery of the police is to have good relationships with the community and understand better how we are perceived,” said Gen Bismillah Mohammadi, Minister of Interior.

Despite successes, only a minority of those surveyed see the police as “very” capable of dealing with various types of crimes, and while eight in 10 Afghans say the police in their area understand the law, just 30 percent said the police understood it “very” well.

“The results of such surveys will specify the weak points and areas for improvement. We will find what the problems are, and we will find our inconsistencies and gaps,” Deputy Minister of Interior Abdul Rahman Rahman told journalists at today’s launch in Kabul.

He added that the Government is committed to making reforms and establishing transparency within the police.

The survey also showed that most Afghans were reluctant to engage with the Afghan National Police (ANP). More than a quarter saw ANP members using drugs or narcotics, as well as making unnecessary police stops, excessive physical force and other abuses without recourse. Some 60 percent of the Afghans polled saw significant levels of corruption within the ANP.

"The law is clear that police are not involved in legal matters. But the courts and legal institutions are not as apparent in the provinces, and in most places, it is the police that people associate with such matters,” Minister Rahman told journalists.

Also at the launch, Sima Samar, Chairperson of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), said police are the first point of contact for people, and public trust will come from honest crime protection and support of human rights.

The survey was taken by 5,052 Afghan men and women aged 18 or over across all 34 provinces in early November 2010. It is the second annual survey conducted by the Afghan Center for Socio-Economic and Opinion Research (ACSOR) with funding from UNDP’s Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan (LOTFA).

Such surveys “allow us to feel the pulse of what people are saying about the progress among Afghan police forces,” said UNDP Country Director, Manoj Basnyat.

By UNAMA