Dylan Welch NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT
AUSTRALIAN officers are training Afghan police who are corrupt, obtain money from the Afghan drug trade and are often sexually abused or sexual abusers, a new report says.
The report, by the non-government organisation The Liaison Office in Afghanistan, comes as the Home Affairs Minister, Brendan O'Connor, and the Federal Police Commissioner, Tony Negus, farewelled a group of 16 officers heading to Afghanistan to help train the nascent Afghan National Police.
The authors of the report, who studied the four-year Dutch control of the province, which ended this year, cast doubt on what kind of system federal police are supporting.
The general reputation of the Afghan National Police ''still revolves around drug addiction, ill-fitting uniforms, bad equipment, bribery, and extortion'', says the report. ''As one man sarcastically stated, 'There are no more criminals in Oruzgan, as they have all joined the ANP.' ''
Police taking bribes was often excused as a means of supplementing poor salaries, the report says. There was anecdotal evidence to suggest extortion was decreasing, but only because ''the ANP has begun to obtain revenue from the drug trade''.
Mr O'Connor and Mr Negus said they were aware of the concerns but it was important for the rule of law that Australia remained committed to ensuring Afghanistan had an effective police force.