The Kabul police force is under qualified, underpaid, lacking resources, lacking numbers and is expected to be making a difference in the establishment of Kabul as a legitimate government. Representative Jared Polis of Colorado recently spent 3 days in Kabul. Much to his dismay, he did many things and saw many things from Army bases and behind bulletproof glass while riding to and from the airport. Rep. Polis spoke with one Afghan while in Kabul, the Minister of the Interior, a former Soviet fighter. They spoke about many things but I am going to focus on the state of the police force. The two main problems are understaffing and corruption. There are 1.3 policemen per 1000 residents in Kabul. An average city of Kabul's size has 4 policemen per 1000 people. The massive amount of poppy being grown in Afghanistan is being used to bargain with politicians and police. Policemen make little money so the lure of any money is too much to handle.
How are does the U.S. expect to control Kabul with an amateur police force? More respect has to be given to the lowest level of authority if there is going to be any significant progress in restructuring Kabul and Afghanistan.
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