US Support to Pakistan in Improvement of Law Enforcement Agencies


In the aftermath of September 11, INL changed the direction of its existing efforts in Pakistan and embarked on a new $73 million border security project. Two-months later, in November 2001, ICITAP participated in a State Department-sponsored assessment of various law enforcement agencies responsible for the country's border security operations. The purpose of the assessment was to identify the strengths and weaknesses of Pakistan's border security capabilities and make recommendations for improvement.

Based on the results of the assessment, ICITAP initiated a border security project that is designed to improve Pakistan's ability to detect and interdict illicit cross-border activities associated with terrorists and armed militants, narcotics, contraband, arms and munitions. Additional efforts are focused on institution-building activities such as reforming the Pakistan National Police and other law enforcement entities. ICITAP furnishes an in-country senior-level advisor to support INL's Border Security Project and police reform efforts by providing technical assistance, training and equipment donations, when warranted.

Program Goals, Objectives, and Strategy:
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ICITAP's short-term goal is to help the Government of Pakistan develop an effective border control network that can respond effectively to various transnational criminal activities in a manner that is consistent with the highest professional standards, including internationally-recognized human rights principles and the rule of law. The program's long-term goal is to coordinate assistance with other countries in an effort to reform the country's law enforcement organizations and eliminate corruption. Objectives include the provision of organizational-development consultations, technical assistance and training to various law enforcement entities in an effort to modernize and improve their operating efficiency. More specific objectives include: improving interagency coordination and cooperation among Pakistani law enforcement agencies in matters relating to border security; providing management and leadership training to senior-level law enforcement officials; delivering skills training to mid-level police and line officers; building investigative, training and instructional capacities while helping to facilitate police reform. The program's goals and objectives are being accomplished through the assignment of an in-country program manager.

Major Challenges:
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Several law enforcement entities operate on Pakistan's borders and adjacent areas, including: the Frontier Corps, the Anti-Narcotics Force, the Federal Investigative Agency, the Frontier Constabulary and Customs. The lack of training and equipment, poor communication capabilities, the need for coordination and a heavy workload have negatively impacted their overall effectiveness as professional law enforcement institutions. Moreover, the topography of the western border, strong sympathy for al Qaeda and Taliban elements, inaccessibility to tribal areas, and lack of infrastructures in the North West Frontier Province and Balochistan complicate matters significantly.

Although several training options can be provided to the organizations responsible for security along the western border, impediments on program delivery and long-term sustainability include: the absorptive capacity of the organizations receiving the training, loss of tacit knowledge and sustainability resulting from personnel rotations, commitment of personnel, operational integration and mission personnel caps.

Pakistan's law enforcement officers are often grossly underpaid, susceptible to outside influences and corruption, and are not respected by the public. And, in certain cases, corruption has also become a means to generate revenue to cover the operating expenses of the police services. Another critical issue is the low organizational investigative ratio (percentage of the force directly involved in investigations) of 12 percent. For comparison, the ratio for more developed countries is well over 60 percent.

On a positive note, while Pakistani police have had a long history of brutality, corruption and lawlessness, Pakistan's citizens and political leaders have also become increasingly vocal in condemning this type of behavior. This is exemplified by the August 14, 2002, enactment of a police reform ordinance (Police Order 2002) that defined various roles and responsibilities while addressing issues such as professionalism and community participation within the provincial police organizations.

Recent Accomplishments:
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ICITAP coordinated and accompanied nine Pakistani border control officials on a training initiative to study U.S. border operations in San Diego, Chula Vista Nogales and El Paso - with additional visits to various training facilities in AZ, GA, NM and SC. The trip was intended to provide participants with an overview of U.S. border control strategies and operations including training methodologies that will be used to develop appropriate strategies for Pakistani law enforcement and paramilitary organizations that are directly responsible for border security, narcotics interdiction, antiterrorism, immigration and customs-related issues. The training initiative was also intended to follow up on a Border Security Augmentation course that was presented by ICITAP earlier in the year.

ICITAP provided two iterations of its one-week Border Security Augmentation course to 64 members of Pakistan's Frontier Corps (Balochistan and Northwest Frontier provinces) Federal Investigation Agency, Immigration, Customs and the Balochistan province police. The course was intended to build core competencies of fixed border position police personnel through a proficiency-skill-based program addressing on-site operational assessments, border entry post operations, drug/narcotics recognition, evidence collection and processing, explosive/weapon recognition, managing intelligence information, tacking and sign-cutting, line operations, international refugee law, systemized vehicle search techniques and other topics deemed critical to Pakistan's entry border post operations.

Forty-six members of Pakistan's provincial police, Federal Investigating Agency, Anti-Narcotics Force and other Ministry of Interior law enforcement organizations participated in ICITAP's two-week Crime Scene Investigator and First Responder courses. Topics included: basic crime scene investigation techniques, evidence collection and processing, and crime scene reconstruction. The U.S. donated 70 crime scene kits to help facilitate various course concepts.

Thirty senior-level law enforcement officials participated in the Executive/Senior Management Series that consisted of Building Organizational Capacity and Sustainability, and Use of Force Continuum courses.

ICITAP has assisted with the reorganization of the Federal Investigation Agency to accommodate the newly-established Anti-Terrorism Section and the development of a new National Criminal Database and Fingerprint Bureau. ICITAP has also been working closely with the Ministry of Interior, National Police Management Board and the National Police Training Management Board to establish a national vision and focus for future consultations, training and technical assistance. ICITAP is working with NAS on resource deployment strategies commensurate with State Department commodities funding.

http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/icitap/pakistan.html