Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Program: Pakistan

Fact Sheet

Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs

May 3, 2010

The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) provides assistance to Pakistan in three primary areas:

• Border Security Program (see separate fact sheet)
• Law Enforcement Reform and Capacity Building
• Counternarcotics (see separate fact sheet)

The program is nationwide, but particular emphasis is placed on the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), and Baluchistan. Programs are managed in-country by the U.S. Embassy Islamabad’s Narcotics Affairs Section (NAS). All assistance is implemented in close partnership with Pakistan's Federal and provincial government entities.

Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Program

Builds off of the Government of Pakistan’s 2002 Police Order and implemented nationwide with beneficiaries drawn from the Provincial Police, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Frontier Constabulary, Levy Forces, and Islamabad Capital Territory police.

Key Program Objectives:

• Provide technical assistance, training, and equipment to augment the capacity of Pakistani law enforcement and security agencies;
• Institute modern fingerprint identification methodologies as standard operating procedures in criminal investigations;
• Enhance executive management skills, training, infrastructure development, strategic planning, and corruption prevention through institutional police reform programs;
• Improve the capacity of law enforcement agencies in the NWFP, FATA, and – pending receipt of FY 2010 funding – Balochistan to prevent and respond to insurgency-related incidents, including suicide bombings, improvised explosive device detonations, kidnappings, and targeted killings perpetuated by insurgents, as well as routine community policing contingencies; and,
• Support organizational reform and capacity building in Pakistan’s criminal justice system.

Strategy: INL achieves these program objectives through the following activities:

• NWFP Law Enforcement Training – In 2009, a new training assistance effort began to enhance police survivability and response capacity to high-threat contingencies in NWFP.
• Law Enforcement Reform – Provide training and mentoring to acquaint law enforcement personnel with modern practices in criminal investigation, academy curriculum development, and leadership/management. Courses offered include small unit tactics, civil disturbance management, and explosive response training.
• Levy Training – FATA Levies (tribal police force) are trained in technical skills, small unit tactics, and counter-IED and counter-suicide bomber tactics.
• Commodity and Infrastructure – Provision of wide range of commodity support, including protective gear, communications equipment, armored vehicles, as well as training center construction and security upgrades to training sites and police stations and posts.
• Criminal Justice Program – A Resident Legal Advisor (RLA) conducts training and mentoring to strengthen prosecutorial services, judicial reform, judicial security, and anti-money laundering efforts.

Locations: Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice programs are nationwide in scope with a special focus on civilian law enforcement entities in the NWFP and FATA.

Accomplishments:

• In 2009, over 2,100 law enforcement personnel received INL training. Since 2002, INL has trained over 10,000 law enforcement officers. Courses include Explosive Response Training, Post Blast Investigations, IED Recognition, and Bomb Team Command Training, which have key counterterrorism applications.
• Nearly 200 Levies completed INL-sponsored Levy training during 2009 and approximately 500 have graduated since the program’s establishment in mid-2007.
• Since August 2009, approximately 8,000 protective barriers have been installed to harden strategic police stations, posts, and checkpoints.
• Since October 2009, 132 NWFP Elite Force commanders have been trained in civilian police leadership and human rights and use of force. In addition, communication equipment, vehicles, armored personnel carriers, helmets, and over 3,000 protective vests ordered for the NWFP Police Elite Force will be delivered in early 2010.
• In 2008, over fifty Pakistani trainers completed Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) training, which gave training institutions the ability to formally train police officers in methods to effectively and humanely manage large and possibly hostile crowds. Courses are heavily weighted toward non-violent crowd management tactics and the UN Convention on Human Rights.
• In 2008, over 30 teams nationwide were trained in post-blast investigation and rendering safe an explosive device.