TARIN KOT, Afghanistan - Crime levels and insurgent activity have declined in the city of Tarin Kot, and District Chief of Police 1st Lt. Gul Agha Hashe hopes to keep it that way.
Gul Agha served for six years as a commander in the Kandak Amniante Uruzgan, a private Afghan security force, before being appointed Tarin Kot district chief of police in October 2011, Provincial Police Chief Brig. Gen. Matiullah Khan.
Gul Agha graduated from the police academy in Kandahar, Afghanistan approximately ten years ago. In addition to the police academy, he has been trained in multiple fields of searching, along with three years of explosive ordnance disposal training.
Gul Agha has recently started enforcing laws to increase security in Tarin Kot which have been met with resistance by some sections of the community.
Motorcycles have to be clear of blankets. Two men cannot ride together on the same motorcycle. Store fronts have to be free of clutter. These laws are designed to make it harder for insurgents to transport and emplace improvised explosive devices.
In response to the community concern, Gul Agha conducted a radio broadcast that ran three times a day, and five times a week.
"I'm your police chief," said Gul Agha. "I'm here to help you. If you need anything, contact your local Afghan National Police. The insurgents are not your friends. The Taliban is not your friend. If you don't feel safe, call us. We're here to protect you."
Gul Agha has made major progress in his city. There was a time when Afghan National Police kept to the safety of their compound and waited to respond to crimes, rather than prevent the crimes from happening. Now, the police officers perform regular presence patrols which hinder insurgent's ability to cause harm.
"I think he's doing an excellent job," said Maj. David Main, commander of the Security Force Assistance Team assigned to advise Gul Agha and his officers. "We're not trying to make them a 20th Century, modern, western police station. That doesn't work for them."
Instead, Gul Agha has implemented methods that work for his police officers.
On Jan. 30, Gul Agha's police officers spotted a vegetable cart in the middle of the street. Children were selling the goods from the cart, but according to new laws the cart cannot be there. Carts in the streets can be used as IEDs or to create congestion, and congestion makes areas easier targets for insurgents.
The police officers seized the cart, took it back to the police station, and instructed the cart owners to retrieve it tomorrow from the chief of police himself. When the children arrived, Gul Agha told them that they could have their cart back, but under one condition. "If we see it there again, I keep it for good."
"I see a lot more ordnance being brought in by police officers because the residents have reported the IEDs," Main said. "In the past, the police officers would come upon the IEDs on patrols. He's been very effective. He's enforcing rules and laws, however unpopular they are. He's even put in a new substation in the south side of the city to make sure all areas are being protected."
Gul Agha knows the future for Tarin Kot can improve drastically, but it's going to take a lot of work. Work that Gul Agha is all too happy to tackle head on.
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