Afghan National Civil Order Police
Encyclopedia
Afghan National Civil Order Police (ANCOP) is a special police
unit developed in July 2006 by Colonel Jack Stankiewicz, US Army, Police Reformation Directorate, CSTC-A of the law enforcement agency
in Afghanistan
.
(ABP), ANCOP is also under the control of the Afghan National Police
(ANP), which is under the nation's Ministry of the Interior.
, Paktia, Kandahar
, Herat
, and Mazar-i-Sharif.
Given they undergo 16 weeks of training and have a higher literacy rate than the regular Afghan National Police, ANCOP are generally considered a more elite force than the regular ANP that oversees them. They are the most deployable force of the ANP. Since December 2009, the French gendarmes (43 in March 2011) and the Spanish officers, Dutch and Polish, under the mandate of the European Gendarmerie Force
, operating in the training center of the Afghan National Civil Order Police to Mazar-e-Sharif
The ANCOP are routinely utilized as a replacement force when a local unit of ANP are sent for initial training to a NATO-led basic training facility. As well, ANCOP are also heavily utilized as a "surge" force of police wherever necessary within the country. As a result, an average ANCOP officer has been deployed on the front lines for a longer average time than his regular ANP counterpart; which has created an inordinate amount of turnover within the ANCOP force.
Special police
Special Police does not have a consistent international meaning. In many cases it will describe a police force or a unit within a police force whose duties and responsibilities are significantly different from other forces in the same country or significantly different from other police in the same...
unit developed in July 2006 by Colonel Jack Stankiewicz, US Army, Police Reformation Directorate, CSTC-A of the law enforcement agency
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
Role
ANCOP's mission is to provide civil order presence patrols, prevent violent public incidents, and provide crisis and anti-terror response in urban and metropolitan environments. Like the Afghan Border PoliceAfghan Border Police
The Afghan Border Police secure Afghanistan's border and international airports. The ABP is also responsible to administer the country's immigration process and administer customs regulations. The ABP's anti-narcotic efforts are a prominent concern to the international community at present...
(ABP), ANCOP is also under the control of the Afghan National Police
Afghan National Police
The Afghan National Police - ANP - is the primary national police force in Afghanistan. It serves as a single law enforcement agency all across the country. The Afghan police force was first created with the establishment of the Afghan nation in the early 18th century...
(ANP), which is under the nation's Ministry of the Interior.
Organization
ANCOP's 5,365 authorized strength is commanded by a Major General. ANCOP is divided into five Brigades, each commanded by a Brigadier General. These brigades are stationed in KabulKabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
, Paktia, Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
, Herat
Herat
Herāt is the capital of Herat province in Afghanistan. It is the third largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 397,456 as of 2006. It is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan...
, and Mazar-i-Sharif.
Given they undergo 16 weeks of training and have a higher literacy rate than the regular Afghan National Police, ANCOP are generally considered a more elite force than the regular ANP that oversees them. They are the most deployable force of the ANP. Since December 2009, the French gendarmes (43 in March 2011) and the Spanish officers, Dutch and Polish, under the mandate of the European Gendarmerie Force
European Gendarmerie Force
The European Gendarmerie Force was launched by an agreement in 2006 between five members of the European Union : France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. Romania subsequently joined in 2009...
, operating in the training center of the Afghan National Civil Order Police to Mazar-e-Sharif
The ANCOP are routinely utilized as a replacement force when a local unit of ANP are sent for initial training to a NATO-led basic training facility. As well, ANCOP are also heavily utilized as a "surge" force of police wherever necessary within the country. As a result, an average ANCOP officer has been deployed on the front lines for a longer average time than his regular ANP counterpart; which has created an inordinate amount of turnover within the ANCOP force.